Heroin Addiction

Heroin is usually injected,  sniffed/snorted, or smoked.  Typically, a heroin abuser may inject up to four times a day.  Intravenous injection provides the greatest intensity and most rapid onset of euphoria (7 to 8 seconds), while intra-muscular injection produces a relatively slow onset of euphoria (5 to 8 minutes).  When heroin is sniffed or smoked, peak effects are usually felt within 10 to 15 minutes.  Although smoking and sniffing heroin do not produce a "rush" as quickly or as intensely as intravenous injection, NIDA researchers have confirmed that all three forms of heroin administration are addictive.

Injection continues to be the predominant method of heroin use among addicted users seeking treatment; however, researchers have observed a shift in heroin use patterns, from injection to sniffing and smoking.  In fact, sniffing/snorting heroin is now a widely reported means of taking heroin among users admitted for drug treatment in Newark, Chicago, New York, and Detroit.

With the shift in heroin abuse patterns comes an even more diverse group of users.  Older users (over 30) continue to be one of the largest user groups in most national data.  However, several sources indicate an increase in new, young users across the country who are being lured by inexpensive, high-purity heroin that can be sniffed or smoked instead of injected.  Heroin has also been appearing in more affluent communities.

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Signs of Heroin Abuse

• Constricted, pinpoint pupils

• Vomiting

• Constipation

• Nodding Out

• Increased activity level before nodding out

• Use of laxatives (heroin causes constipation)

• Loss of old, established friendships

• New, undesirable friends

• Frequent, secret phone calls

• Depression

• Track marks on arms

• Unexplained time away from home

• Sudden change in behavior

• Itching and scratching

• Weight loss

• Cessation of menstruation

• Finding plastic zip loc baggies

• Finding spoons with burn marks

• Disappearance of spoons

• Stolen credit cards and checks

• Aluminum foil and chewing gum wrappers with burn marks

• New purchases returned for a cash refund

• Pawn slips found in the house

• Theft of household valuables, tools, appliances, and jewelry

• Missing shoelaces from shoes used as a tie off for injecting heroin

• Bottles of vinegar and bleach (used to clean needles

• Cotton balls