Abstemious Outpatient Clinic, Inc.

Heroin / Opium

Horse, smack, H, Mexican Mud, Tar, China White

Other forms:  Opium, pharmaceuticals - codeine, Morphine, Vicodin, Loratab, Diludid, Percodan, Darvon, Demerol, Talwin, Laam, and others.

 Heroin is a white to brown powder or gummy substance derived from the opium poppy and is injected directly into a vein, sniffed, or smoked. Typically, heroin is used every four to six hours in doses of 4 to 8 milligrams each. The intense euphoria of heroin lasts only a few hours.

Signs of heroin use include a constricted, non - reactive pupil; muscle relaxation ( e.g., droopy eyelids, slurred speech, a slow gait ); a decrease in pulse, reflexes, blood pressure, and respiration rate; and fresh needle marks. Heroin use drives out the brain neurotransmitter endorphin; when this happens and heroin isn't used, withdrawal symptoms set in, those include insomnia, muscle ache, nausea, chills, sweating, gooseflesh, vomiting and diarrhea. Addiction periods usually last four to six months, often ceasing because of the addict is arrested or enters treatment. Periods of abstinence usually last no longer than a few weeks or months, and relapse is usually precipitated by physical or mental stress. Once addicted to intravenous use of heroin, a staggering 70 to 80 percent of users continue intermittent use for many years or a lifetime.