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Heroin Addiction
Heroin is a very addictive drug and heroin addiction is now a common issue amongst people of all backgrounds, education levels and income. The long term affects of a heroin addiction are unpleasant and involve both the physical effects of the heroin drug, but also the psychological addiction and the behaviour changes this brings about.
Physically the heroin drug causes health problems in particular respiratory problems, and many are more susceptible to other diseases. As you become physically dependent (ie addicted) to heroin you develop a tolerance and require more of the drug to get the same highs. You also develop withdrawal symptoms which makes it painful to stop taking the drug. These physical symptoms include insomnia, goose bumps, involuntary kicking, muscle and bone pain and vomiting.
These withdrawal symptoms become more exaggerated with time and for someone who is physically addicted to large amounts of heroin it can be very dangerous and even fatal to suddenly stop. This is why drug addiction treatment is best carried out under medical supervision. There are many rehab centres which specialise in both the detox process (safely stopping taking the drug) followed by a period of rehab to help with the psychological addiction.
Much research has shown that the secondary rehab process is vital to enable someone to get clean and stay in recovery from a drug addiction. During this process you are helped to form coping strategies for when life is difficult and your bodies remembers the old cravings. People who have successfully stopped taking heroin talk about being in recovery, maybe for 5 years or 10 years or 50 years. This is a recognition of the fact that the body does not easily forget the previous dependence or addiction to heroin.