According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, there are about 117,000 new users of heroin each year in the US. As heroin’s presence continues to grow across the country, more and more families get exposed to the drug’s devastation. If you’re concerned that your loved one may have an addiction to heroin, it’s important to take action before their addiction gets worse—or they overdose. And this starts by recognizing common heroin addict signs and symptoms.
Heroin Addiction, Explained
Heroin, also known as smack, dope, and horse among other names, is part of the opioid family of drugs. Derived from synthetic morphine, heroin is an illegal drug that produces a rush of euphoria almost immediately after you inject it into your veins. You can also snort, sniff, and smoke heroin as well.
No matter the way you use it, heroin can reach your brain very quickly. Intense feelings of wellbeing, sedation, and tranquility follow heroin’s euphoric high . The effects may last a few hours, also causing nausea, vomiting, and itching for some users.
However, using heroin just a few times can unfortunately lead to a substance use disorder. As you take heroin, the feel-good chemical dopamine gets released in your brain. This signals to your brain that heroin is associated with pleasure, so you begin to desire and seek out more heroin to achieve this same dopamine rush. Yet over time, as you use more heroin, you require stronger doses to achieve the desired high, leading deeper and deeper into a serious, unrelenting addiction and major health consequences.
Heroin use has risen steadily since 2007, with about 1 million people in the US currently struggling with heroin addiction today, shares WebMD.com. Much of this rise is associated with the prescription opioid epidemic: as people become addicted to opioids, they may turn to heroin as a cheaper and stronger alternative. If you think someone in your family may have done this themselves, what heroin addiction symptoms do you need to look out for?
Common Heroin Addict Signs and Symptoms
When you’ve developed an addiction to heroin, your life is no longer your own. Before long, the consequences of heroin abuse not only impact you physically, emotionally, and mentally, they also hurt loved ones closest to you (it’s likely you can relate as you’re reading this). You or someone you know may be abusing heroin if they show the following heroin addict signs and symptoms:
Physical Signs of Heroin Addiction
- Weight loss
- Poor hygiene
- Excessive itching
- Small pupils
- Excessive sweating
- Slow or slurred speech
- Irregular or slow breathing
- Strong cravings for heroin
- Daily heroin use
- The inability to stop heroin use despite any negative consequences
- Strange sleep habits
- Regular constipation or nausea
- Ongoing respiratory problems
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
Behavioral Symptoms of Heroin Addiction
- Missing time at school and getting bad grades
- Wearing dirty clothes
- Asking others for money
- Being secretive or hostile about personal space
- Mood swings
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Neglecting personal or work responsibilities
- Losing your job
- Stealing
- Lack of interest in hobbies or enjoyable activities
- Anxiety
- Showing little to no motivation
- Depression
- Wearing long sleeves to hide track marks or injection sites
Heroin Addict Signs: Long-Term Consequences
Anyone who’s struggling with heroin addiction is putting themselves in serious danger. Not only can a heroin addict undergo harmful changes in their body and brain with prolonged use, they may put themselves in increasingly risky situations to feed their addiction. And with both short-term and long-term heroin use, there is always the potential for an overdose and death. Some of the main long-term consequences of heroin addiction include:
- Collapsed veins
- Infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis
- Chronic constipation
- Skin infections
- Bacterial infections in your blood vessels
- Mental health disorders
- Liver, lung, and kidney disease
- Fertility problems
- Permanent brain damage
- Coma
- Death
What Do You Do if Your Loved One is Showing Heroin Addict Signs?
If you’re seeing heroin addict signs in your loved one, it’s important to talk to them about their addiction and the harm it can cause. Naloxone—a medication for reversing a heroin overdose—may also be good to have on hand at home (anyone can carry it) in case your loved one experiences an overdose.
However, you also need to realize that quitting a heroin addiction isn’t done quickly. It’s not a habit you can stop cold turkey (in some cases, this can actually be dangerous). Your body actually needs to wean off heroin slowly if you’re addicted.
And unfortunately, stopping a heroin addiction can lead to heroin withdrawal symptoms, which makes it harder for people to quit. These withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Restless or uncontrollable leg movements
- Chills
- Intense drug cravings
- Increased heart rate
- Hot flashes and sweating
- Body aches
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Vomiting
- Irritability
If your loved one desires to quit their addiction, the first step is for them to detox from the drug safely at a medical detox center. From there, we recommend your loved one enrolls in a professional addiction treatment facility to overcome their addiction. After all, addiction is usually a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma, stressors, or underlying mental health disorders.
At Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN, our personalized heroin addiction treatment program uses trauma-informed care to directly address the root causes of your loved one’s addiction, empowering them to develop healthier coping skills and reclaim their life. To learn more, call our team today. And if your loved one’s addiction has led to ongoing family dysfunction, download our FREE Drama Triangle workbook to learn how to heal your family dynamics and better support your loved one.
