Heroin addiction

Heroin is a highly addictive drug which is a member of the opiate family. It interacts with the central nervous system which means that individuals who abuse this drug put themselves at risk for significant immediate and long-term harm including heroin addiction.

Symptoms of heroin addiction

When you abuse heroin, you can quickly develop a tolerance which means that you will need to take increasingly greater amounts of the drug in order to experience the desired effects.

Behavioral symptoms of heroin addiction:

Being frequently absent from work or education
Wearing long-sleeved shirts even in warm weather to hide marks
Lying about your whereabouts
Loss of interest in activities that were previously important to you

Physical symptoms of heroin addiction:

Noticeable unintentional weight loss
Watery eyes as well as a runny nose
Constipation
Itchiness
Sleeping problems

Mental symptoms of heroin addiction:

Feelings including shame and guilt
Hopelessness and despair
Poor judgement

Social symptoms of heroin:

Withdrawal from family and friends
Job loss and unemployment
Financial difficulties
Social isolation

Where can I get help for heroin addiction?

Specialist heroin addiction treatment programmes at rehabilitation centres will usually begin with a medically assisted withdrawal detoxification. You will firstly be asked a range of questions to tailor your treatment. These may include:

How much heroin you take
Whether you are abusing any other drugs
How your physical and mental health is
What your personal circumstances are
Whether you have had treatment for drugs before

Please be prepared that you may be asked for a urine sample. This will be tested to confirm that you are abusing heroin.

Once you then have completed this first step, you will be assigned a key worker who will help you put together a personalised treatment plan to help your heroin addiction. You’ll meet your key worker regularly throughout your treatment.