Heroin Awareness...

HEROIN

(SMACK, JUNK, ETC.)

Made from opium this is a highly addictive drug (both physically and mentally).  Often tried out of curiosity, the drug quickly takes over the body and it is needed on a regular basis or the user suffers severe withdrawal.

Like other drugs, this drug tears families and other relationships apart, as the user becomes focused on when they will get their next "fix".   This drug is often "cut" with other extremely dangerous chemicals and as such, the user may never know what they're ingesting.  The primary routes of ingestion are needle (shooting up) and snorting.  Over time, users veins become so badly damaged they often do the unthinkable, injecting needles into eyelids, between toes, in and around genital area etc. (any where there are veins).  This demonstrates the power of this drug and how little control people who use this drug have over themselves.

Effects of the drug:

Sleepiness

Loss of appetite

Constipation

Extreme mood swings

Loss of sexual desire

Loss of appetite

Slow shallow breathing (can cause respiratory arrest)

Vomiting

Loss of concept of reality

Depression

Inability to keep a job

Going broke as all money goes to sustaining addiction

Loss of all concern for self and others

Crime.  Users resort to crime to support habit

Overdose - Death

AIDS (through use of needles)

Other infections and illness (hepatitis etc.)

Other effects are breaks with reality, paranoia, hallucinations, sensations of snakes or bugs crawling on them ("coke bugs") , severe dependency, depression, confusion, cardiac arrest (heart attack leading to death), and cocaine poisoning.