Heroin Withdrawal
Heroin Withdrawal
There are many substances in the world that, if used often enough, will produce withdrawal symptoms in the user. Cigarettes are the most common one that people think about. That’s because there are so many smokers out there, and everyone knows the dangers involved with smoking; and most have unsuccessfully tried to quit.
The main reason why they fail to quit is because of the withdrawal symptoms the lack of nicotine produces. Nicotine attaches to receptors in your brain that fit just as well, or maybe even better, than your body’s natural ‘feel good’ endorphins. That’s why nicotine is so addictive. Your body begins to crave it. Now, if you’ve ever gone through nicotine withdrawal, you know how bad the symptoms are. Can you imagine heroin withdrawal; an experience that’s possibly hundreds times worse than any nicotine withdrawal symptom?
Heroin withdrawal symptoms have been described as hell. First of all, it’s important to discuss why people get hooked on heroin in the first place. Just like nicotine fits nicely into your brain’s receptors like a perfectly placed jigsaw puzzle piece, so, too, does heroin fit into those receptors. In fact, heroin may fit better than your own receptors AND nicotine combined.
Heroin users describe heroin as a drug that, when injected, causes every inch of your body to experience a simultaneous orgasm. All your troubles, all the stress you’ve been under, it all just melts away. It’s just you and your chemically induced heaven. But this feeling only lasts a short while. Soon, it’s back to reality, and that’s when the heroin withdrawal symptoms begin to manifest themselves.
The person has just come out of the heroin haze and instantly the world looks dark. The user begins to see how sad and pointless life is. Why get a job? Why get married and have kids? We all just live and die. That’s it. Life essentially means nothing. For some users, this thinking process happens after a little while of using heroin. But for some, it happens after the first time.
But regardless of when you feel this mental urge to use heroin again, your body’s already busy with the physical urges. Your stomach begins to hurt, your head hurts, you feel lethargic, moody, you don’t want to eat or do anything that requires any physical effort; unless that effort involves getting more heroin.
And that’s how the cycle starts. All it takes is one time doing heroin and your body is hooked. Your mind and your body will then do whatever it takes to get more. The withdrawal symptoms will make you so sick you won’t be able to wait to make them stop. You’ll crave the drug with a need stronger than hunger, thirst, and human affection combined.
All of those things become a second priority while heroin becomes your focus.
That’s a strong message to tell someone who is considering using the drug. It sounds wonderful: complete bliss and an escape from the stressors and sadness life can bring. But the withdrawal symptoms, described in detail, should be enough to cause even the most curious person to refrain from ever using this powerful and destructive drug.
