Signs and Symptoms of Heroin Addiction
Compared with other opiates and opioids, heroin’s addictive properties make this illicit drug is one of the MOST ADDICTIVE available.
Signs of Heroin Addiction
Heroin is a highly addictive drug, among one of the most rapidly acting opiates. Produced from morphine, and seldom found on the streets pure, heroin is often “cut” with other drugs endangering the life of the user.
The first sign of addiction is habitual use. Routes of administration for heroin include injecting, snorting or smoking. Each mode of administration is associated with a specific risk factor and causes severe side effects. Most addicts, who have asked for help on their own had been injecting heroin, while the research has also discovered a pattern of use, from injection to sniffing and smoking. For example, injecting heroin typically occurs up to 4 times a day. However, all three forms of administration are addictive, no matter the differences between their peak action levels.
Symptoms of Heroin Addiction
Heroin addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and compulsive behavior. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) clinical criterion for heroin addiction states the framework under which health care providers diagnose addiction to heroin. These include four main characteristics of addiction, including:
Compulsion to use (a thought process which compels use)