NCJ Number
171822
Date Published
1997
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper provides an overview of the latest research findings on heroin abuse and addiction.
Abstract
In answering the question, "What is heroin?" the paper notes that it is an illegal, highly addictive drug that is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Regarding the scope of heroin use in the United States, the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated that 2.4 million people use heroin at some time in their lives, and nearly 216,000 reported using it within the month preceding the survey. In discussing the immediate effects of heroin use, the paper advises that it produces a surge of pleasure that is a function of how much drug is taken and how rapidly the drug enters the brain and binds to the natural opioid receptors. Heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain so rapidly. After the initial effects, abusers usually will be drowsy for several hours, and mental function is impaired by heroin's effect on the central nervous system. One of the most detrimental long-term effects of heroin is addiction itself, which is a chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, as well as neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain. Also discussed are the medical complications of chronic heroin use, how heroin abuse affects pregnant women, and why heroin users are at special risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C. The described treatments for heroin addiction are detoxification, methadone programs, LAAM and other medications, and behavioral therapies. Also discussed are the opioid analogs and their dangers and sources of further scientific information about heroin abuse and addiction. 1 figure and 24 references