The cliche of heroin addiction is that you shoot-up once and you're an addict. But I've noticed over the years that this isn't the case. It might sound controversial to say this, but it can take a long time for heroin use to become a "problem", and then it's only often a problem because of financial issues, not the actual effects of the drug itself. Would people agree with this? Could someone with enough money be a functioning heroin addict for the rest of their life, or does it always catch you out in the end?
It will always catch up to you, unless they use in infrequently but that would mean they aren't addicted. Heroin builds tolerance very quickly so the user will need to constantly increase the dosage if they're using regularly. That's where the problem is, before long they'll be injecting massive doses just to get high. It starts wearing off faster so the doses become more frequent... Until eventually the addiction becomes so bad that the withdrawals alone could kill them.
Well, then it must mean there are multiple subcategories of heroin because where I come from I see on a daily basis heroin addicts who just can't bear a day without a syringe, and that's pretty dreadful. However, if the main issue is money where you live, I'm really, really glad.
I was a IV heroin addict for years and when i started doing it i just used occasionally but once i became addicted i had to use everyday or i would get sick. Heroin addiction does catch up with you. Causes legal problems, money problems, health problems etc..... Heroin was made by the devil, the withdrawals are so painful. I wouldnt wish them on my worst enemy.
Assuming you could get your fix each day without any problems (say, almost like the equivalent to a methadone clinic perhaps but with heroin instead of methadone), would you say that you could still function in a normal life when you were addicted i.e go about a job, keep family and friendships going etc, like a high functioning alcoholic can, or was the addiction to heroin different in some special way?
In switzerland and a few other countries they actually have Heroin clinics. You can go in and get your fix no questions ask and its been proven that those people function at a high level. Me on the other hand Im not sure if I would be high functioning because drugs tend to mess with my Psyche so much. I would have to be placed in that predictament to be able to say for sure how i would react and basically today i dont want to do that.
Well, it really depends on the person. If he/she could still be productive even though he/she uses heroin, then that's a good thing. However, heroin users should not be too complacent about the situation just because they're functional addicts. Everything must still be done in moderation.
I think that in the media it can be viewed as something which is like the Hollywood world and that is not the reality as society has taken a relaxed view in todays world which can make even the young people view it as a way to escape problems and also try and copy from other people who use it. I hope people learn about heroin as it can make people think more about the way it is viewed and also we need to try and make more better choices which can help people see what heroin really is and how it can affect us in the end. I reckon people should not use the drug so that people can escape from issues affecting them as the problems are going to be there after the affects from the drug wears off it will make the person stressed out in the end.
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I think ultimately the issue depends on personal factors, and how an individual responds to drug dependency in general. I functioned at a high level as an alcoholic for many years, but that just wasn't sustainable in the long-term. The crash always happens, and it very often seems to happen at exactly the worst time.....
I agree with the above poster. I think the drug use is highly suggestive and depends on a number of different factors. Some may be addicted with their first use, and others it may take awhile, either way you cut the cake, heroin is nothing to mess around with.
The more saturated your receptors are, the more heroin you'll need to get the same feelings. Trouble is that you don't know what's your overdose limit, reason why from one point, there is always the risk to not get to the other day. Like other people have already said it, eventually it will catch up with you. People will notice, you will have less money and you'll start having health problems. Not everything you inject in your veins was produced in a sterile environment.
I've never heard of anyone not becoming addicted right away after one use. Anytime I've heard someone tell their story, it was always after that first time that they were hooked.
You can't eat your cake and have it. Using heroine will have it's adverse effect on your body in the long run. It will not only affect your body, it will also affect your finances, your reasoning, your emotions and the way you relate with other people. No matter how rich an heroine addict can be, it will still affect his finances. All major life decisions will revolve around it. That is what I call captivity.
I think that it is true for all recreational drugs. You don't just go 'Boom! I'm and Addict!' The urge slowly catches up to you. And in most cases it's so discreet that you don't even notice until it's too late. Unfortunately, for heroin, this 'interval' of using-but-not-abusing is very short. That's what makes the drug so dangerous IMO
I would agree, the portrayal is far from realistic most of the time. I personally snorted for a long time before shooting, and my first few times were weeks apart. I didn't fall into being a junkie after my first taste. Though I will say that once the needle got involved, it was much more serious and was definitely a daily habit from that point on.
These are interesting revelations because the usual situation as portrayed in the movie is that from the first instance someone takes heroin they are hooked and become extremely addicted. Now I have a better understanding of how the process moves from normal to addiction.