Heroin is probably the drug with the greatest addictive potential, and the second most dangerous taking into account the damage it causes both to the user and to their social environment.
Therefore, it is not surprising that it is part of the category of hard drugs and that many efforts are made annually both to help people who want to “get off” this substance and those who want to continue using it without exposing themselves to all the risks. health problems associated with this practice: transmission of diseases due to sharing needles, STDs due to reckless sexual behavior, etc.
All this has to do with the powerful effects of heroin, capable of generating a strong dependence in a relatively short period even by the standards of hard drugs, and which lead those who consume it to lose control of their lives practically without realizing it. account. In this article We will see how heroin addiction develops and what elements participate in it.
First of all, let’s start with the most important thing: what is heroin? This substance, also known as diamorphine or diacetylmorphine, is an opioid-type drug derived from morphine and first synthesized in 1874 by the English chemist Charles Romley Alder Wright Injected into a vein, heroin is characterized by producing a state of euphoria and well-being that is followed by a wide variety of very harmful and potentially fatal side effects.
All of them have to do with the depressant effects of this drug on the nervous system, that is, the decrease in its activity in areas linked to consciousness and executive functions, which is considered sedation. These side effects and complications from overdose include: decreased breathing, digestive problems, heart disease, or directly cardiac arrest and death
Initially, this substance was marketed as a substitute analgesic for morphine, since it was mistakenly believed to be less addictive than the latter. Nowadays, its marketing and use beyond medical prescription or its use in research is illegal.
Elements that cause and maintain heroin addiction
These are the elements that make heroin addiction one of the most powerful and dangerous.
1. Chemical addiction in the brain
Heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier, which acts as a filter between the circulatory system and the central nervous system, and comes into contact with nerve cells in the brain Once there, it interacts with a series of neurotransmitter receptors, which are parts of the neurons fixed in their membrane (their outer and most superficial layer) and whose function is to capture specific molecules that the neurons exchange with each other to communicate with each other and trigger certain mechanisms both in others and in other parts of the body.
In this way, the drug acts by replacing specific neurotransmitters that are usually available naturally in the central nervous system, coupling to neurotransmitter receptors prepared to “capture” the latter, and at that moment a chain reaction occurs that gives way to altered brain functioning: the neurons activated by heroin send abnormal activation patterns to other nerve cells, which in turn do the same. itself, and in the end the entire functioning of the body remains “unbalanced”, since nervous activity also influences the endocrine system, responsible for the management and production of hormones.
Specifically, heroin seems to especially enhance the activity of mu opioid receptors, whose role in the nervous system is associated with analgesia and a decrease in anxiety levels.
Since the immediate effects of heroin are usually pleasurable, little by little the person becomes accustomed to using it, and at the same time Your brain is being modified to prioritize these types of rewarding experiences
The chemical action of heroin on the networks of neurons in the brain causes them to change both in their chemical functioning and in their way of establishing connections with the rest of the parts of the brain; That is, the nervous system changes both chemically and physically. The brain’s reward system, responsible for directing our actions towards goals and incentives that motivate us, is transformed so that increasingly, heroin becomes the absolute priority.
2. The weakening of social and long-term incentives
As we have seen, in a relatively short time, heroin causes our brain to become a set of organs whose function is to allow us to find and consume more heroin. This causes the drug to eclipse the rest of the day-to-day sources of motivation over time overlooking hygiene, personal health and personal relationships.
In turn, the latter encourages heroin users to become increasingly isolated, weakening their emotional ties with friends and family, and their social circle is reduced to other people with addictions, given that in such an environment it is easier to have access. immediately to the drug. In this way, while heroin is gaining importance as an incentive, What is around the addicted person is losing its ability to offer other stimulating and exciting experiences
3. The pressure of context
In the previous paragraphs we saw that the context plays an important role in the consolidation and maintenance of addiction, given that if there are no sources of motivation capable of competing with drug consumption, the person becomes more and more enclosed in certain environments. and lifestyles in which the only option left is to continue using these substances.
But at the same time, many times it is the people in this new social circle who exert pressure (even involuntarily) so that each of its individuals continues to get high and finds it very difficult to get off the hook. For example, offering needles, staying in places that everyone associates with sitting and consuming heroin or any other drug, keeping secrets related to the sale and purchase of the substance, etc.
4. Health problems
Heroin has very harmful effects both physically and psychologically, so those who have already developed an addiction find themselves in the need to face many forms of discomfort: infections, accelerated aging, pain, anxiety when they have not consumed for several hours, etc. . If you do not have professional help, all this It predisposes people to try to block that discomfort in the only way they know: by distracting themselves with the drug
Are you looking for help with addictions?
If you are suffering from addiction or dual pathology problems, contact us. In CITA Clinics We specialize in the treatment of addictions with and without drugs, both from psychotherapy and from medical and psychiatric intervention, and we offer specific therapy sessions, support in outpatient care and also admissions in our fully equipped residential module located in the heart of nature. You will find us in the area of Mataró and Barcelona; To see our contact information, go to this page.
