This research report presents an overview of heroin, its use, and treatment options available to addicts.
This research report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse presents an overview of heroin, its use, and treatment options available to users. Since 2007, data on drug use has found that heroin use has been steadily rising. One of the reasons for this increase may be due to a shift from abuse of prescription pain relievers to a drug that is more readily available and cheaper. The data also indicate that heroin use has shifted away from predominately urban areas to more suburban and rural communities, and that the greatest increase in heroin use is among young adults aged 18-25. This report describes the effects that heroin has on the body, both the immediate, short-term effects such as the pleasurable high experienced after taking the drug, to the long-term effects that include imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems and profound degrees of tolerance for the drug and physical dependence. The report also includes information on the medical complications from chronic heroin use, how heroin use creates a special risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C, how heroin use affects pregnant women, and what can be done for a heroin overdose. The last section of the report lists treatment options for heroin addiction that include pharmacological treatments such as methadone and naltrexone, and behavioral therapies. References and a listing of information resources about heroin