Heroin Addiction: What Makes Heroin Dangerous?
Heroin addiction is one of the most, or even the most, dangerous drugs available, with over 3 million people aged 12 and over having used it at least once in their lives, and nearly 4,000 people dying from heroin overdose in 2023. That’s 3 million lives and 4,000 families affected by heroin. These numbers hardly reflect the significant, yet preventable harm heroin does to people and families.
You may be one of the 3 million affected by heroin use, so it’s crucial to know all the dangers of heroin so you can get help immediately. But what makes heroin dangerous, and why is it so addictive?
Master Center has treated over 10,000 Virginians—including those with heroin addiction. We understand the devastating impact of heroin, and we’re dedicated to providing the information you need. Knowing the reason behind the addictive properties of heroin, health risks, and withdrawal signs are the first steps to getting help and overcoming the disease of addiction.
What Makes Heroin Dangerous to People?
It’s important to know that addiction is a brain disease, and it’s more than just a “choice” to use heroin. This means that even people who use heroin recreationally can develop cravings, as the drug affects the brain in certain ways.
Heroin Activates the “Reward” Centers Quickly
When you use heroin, the brain receptors activated are in the reward centers, which release “feel good” chemicals like dopamine. Immediately, you may feel a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in your limbs, which many users find pleasurable. That’s why you get a “euphoric” feeling; the part of the brain that regulates pleasure begins working overtime and, in turn, leads to dependency because it places that “feel good” sensation at the forefront.
What Heroin Does to the Body
The “high” sensation aside, many people also deal with the dangerous and lethal effects of heroin. These can include but aren’t limited to:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Severe itching
- Decreased mental function
- Slowed breathing
- Permanent brain damage
- Coma and death
- Severe, heart, intestine, and kidney damage
- Infection from injection site
These effects are the primary reason heroin is so deadly, and why it’s imperative to seek help immediately when abuse arises.
Development of Tolerance Leads to Addiction
Additionally, over time, you don’t get the same rush from taking the same amount of heroin. This is known as the development of tolerance; people need more and more to get high over time, and it’s how people become addicted. Heroin becomes addictive by making the brain prioritize pleasure over basic needs, while at the same time making it harder to achieve that “high,” and therefore leading to excessive use.
What makes heroin dangerous is that this development of tolerance can lead to withdrawals, as the body becomes so dependent on the drug that removing it causes physical reactions. Let’s go over heroin withdrawals and how life-threatening they can be.
What are Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms?
Heroin withdrawal is a direct result of the development of tolerance; as you use it more, your body craves that pleasurable sensation more, and the threshold of pleasure rises higher and higher. However, “quitting cold turkey” is generally not recommended and can be extremely dangerous without professional oversight, as withdrawal symptoms can be very severe. These symptoms include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Profound sweating and shaking
- Severe abdominal pain
- Mood swings including agitation, nervousness, and depression
- Uncontrollable muscle spasms
- Unbearable craving for drugs and increased chance of relapse
Heroin Withdrawal Can Begin Almost Immediately
Heroin is known as a short-acting opioid. This means that withdrawal symptoms will begin within 6-12 hours after your last dose. These symptoms can typically worsen over the next 2-3 days and end up lasting around 5-10 days total. How long detox takes really depends on your addiction severity and what detox method you choose.
However, with supervised medical detox—that includes some medications and therapy—you can ease some of these unpleasant symptoms and boost your chances of detoxing successfully. Some centers offer inpatient detox, where you’re under 24/7 supervision while going through withdrawals, while others offer partial hospitalization programs that allow for more intensive treatment in an outpatient setting.
Master Center offers an outpatient heroin detox program, where you can detox in a controlled, safe, and supervised environment of your choice. This allows you to detox safely at home with the guidance of a medical professional. We typically offer buprenorphine to ease severe withdrawal symptoms and provide access to dozens of group counseling options to help process post-detox.
Regardless, heroin withdrawal can be unpleasant and at times life-threatening, so it’s imperative that you seek detox guidance in a medically supervised environment.
Why You Should Quit Heroin
Quitting Heroin Can Save Your Life, Not Just from Overdose
There are quite a few reasons why you should quit heroin that are for yourself and for the people around you. The most important reason, however, is that heroin is deadly. It’s certainly one of the deadliest addictions; with only one small mistake, you can die, and not just from an overdose. It’s easy to get careless when using heroin, which is what leads to its greatest dangers.
When it’s too strong, it can incapacitate you; when you use a dirty needle, you can get an infection or lethal diseases; when you inject a laced dose, it can kill you. Stopping now, while you’re able to, can be a lifesaving decision.
You’ll Never Regain That “High” Again
When you first start using heroin, it may feel like the best feeling in the world. However, that initial euphoric feeling only lasts for the first few hours, and then you’ll never feel it again. After the first high wears off, you won’t feel as euphoric as the time before, no matter how many times you try again. Eventually, you may just be maintaining your heroin use only to avoid getting sick (aka, preventing withdrawal symptoms) and, ultimately, won’t get as high anymore.
This ties back to the development of tolerance, and, before you’re aware of it, your entire life will be under the control of heroin, only getting sicker and sicker while chasing that first “high” you’ll never achieve again. That’s why it’s important to quit as soon as possible before the obsession worsens.
Heroin Can Kill Slowly
One major part of what makes heroin dangerous is that it can also kill slowly. This means that if you overdose, you may survive, but you can be permanently disabled after you awaken. There can be heart damage, like congestive heart failure, or brain damage from lack of oxygen. Even your heart valves are at risk with excessive heroin use; with the risk of conditions like hepatitis and HIV, the drug and needle itself can lead to a slow and painful death.
It’s easy to think of overdose as the main cause of heroin death, but there are dozens more health risks that can arise. That’s why it’s better to remove yourself from the drug completely before it’s too late.
Getting Help for Heroin Addiction
After understanding what makes heroin dangerous and reflecting on your own use, it’s recommended to get help immediately. There are dozens of treatment options for heroin addiction, and you can start as quickly as today with the right guidance. Some options include:
- Inpatient heroin treatment: Undergo heroin detox and rehab programs while living at the facility.
- Outpatient heroin treatment: Undergo heroin detox and rehab programs while living your day-to-day life.
- Medication-assisted treatment: Ease withdrawal symptoms during detox with comfort medications like buprenorphine or reduce cravings with suboxone and others.
- Intensive Outpatient Programs: Engage in group therapy for several hours a week in an outpatient setting to develop relapse prevention strategies and trigger management.
Make sure you research your options and ask important questions about length of treatment, insurance coverage, relapse policies, and more, so you can make an educated choice on where you choose to get help. You can also learn more about the different treatment options in our article, “Addiction Treatment Pros & Cons.”
Heroin Addiction Treatment at Master Center
Finding a heroin treatment center can feel overwhelming, especially when there feels like so much out there. Our addiction specialists understand the devastating impact of heroin addiction, and we have multiple programs and resources to help you overcome it:
- Outpatient Heroin Detox: In this program, detox in an outpatient setting under medical supervision with medication-assisted treatment and dozens of post-detox group therapy options.
- Intensive Outpatient Program: In this 6-week program, learn relapse prevention techniques from certified counselors to help you manage your triggers and better prepare yourself for life outside of your addiction.
- Peer Recovery Coaching: Receive mentorship and guidance from a certified recovery coach—someone in recovery (including heroin recovery) themselves—to get interpersonal and individualized support.
- Personalized Therapy Groups: Get access to 40+ weekly group therapy options, including Recovery Groups, Men/Women’s Groups, Grief & Loss Group, Mental Health Support Groups, and more to help you better process your addiction in a closed, supportive environment.
As mentioned, heroin is one of the most addictive and deadliest drugs out there; it gives a temporary, fake euphoria, leaves room for infection, and can damage necessary organs.
But it’s never too late to get help. Heroin addiction kills, and your decision to get clean today can save your life. Call a treatment center as soon as possible to get started on the road to recovery and take back control of your life.
About Master Center for Addiction Medicine
About Master Center for Addiction Medicine
Master Center for Addiction Medicine is a groundbreaking addiction treatment program headquartered in Glen Allen, Va. Based on a vision of comprehensive outpatient care, Master Center was launched in 2016 and now includes locations throughout the Commonwealth.
Master Center offers a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach rarely seen in the outpatient setting, staffed by experienced addiction physicians, psychiatrists, counselors, therapists, and peer recovery coaches.
