Identifying Heroin Addiction

Because of its sheer destructiveness, heroin addiction is relatively easy to identify. Very few heroin addicts are able to maintain the appearance of a normal lifestyle while using, and the physical effects of heroin are hard to disguise. What’s more, after prolonged use, users typically abandon most efforts that would conceal their addiction, as their priorities have shifted so completely toward their addiction.

Signs of heroin addiction vary based on the state of the user—whether he or she is intoxicated (“high”) or, as is more often the case, in withdrawal. After repeated use, generalized symptoms appear, including unsettling changes in personality and physical appearance.

Heroin addiction is painfully apparent in long-term users. The scars of their addiction are visible in every aspect—social, spiritual, psychological and physical—of their being. Families in crisis, careers destroyed, potential wasted: these are the legacies of long-term heroin use.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, heroin’s toxicity isn’t limited to the actual active ingredient. Illicit heroin often contains contaminants or additives that can result in permanent damage to the lungs, liver, kidneys and brain.

Heroin users often drink alcohol, smoke and use other illicit drugs, frequently to counter the effects of withdrawal while they find their next fix. As a result, heroin users can display a range of symptoms that reflect their poly drug use.

If you are finding that you fit into any of the categories above, then we can probably provide you with some help.  Above It All Treatment and Recovery Center can design a program around you to stop the addiction and ease your withdrawals.  We can help you pick yourself up and start treading down the long road to recovery.  We are here for you. Contact us today.