Heroin and other opiates

Heroin (diamorphine) is a natural opiate made from opium. It is highly addictive. Some of the most damaging aspects of its use happen because some users sacrifice other priorities (like making sure they have enough food or a good place to live) in order to keep getting heroin. This is made worse by the fact that tolerance develops quickly - the need to use more and more to get the same effect. Heroin is generally smoked or injected (dissolved in citric acid or lemon juice), though high purity forms can be snorted. All opiates are controlled substances in the UK and if they have not been prescribed to you they are Class A illicit substances. For more information about the classification of substances and sentencing, click here.

Effects: Heroin is a powerful painkiller, and reduces feelings of both physical and psychological pain. The effects include a sense of well-being and of being distanced from any troubles. At higher doses people can become drowsy. It is common to feel or be sick, especially the first few times of using heroin. Heroin, like other opiates, is a depressant drug - meaning it slows down breathing and heart rate. Heroin is actually taken into the body slightly faster when smoked, though the immediate feeling or 'rush' can be more intense if it is injected.

Risks: As with other depressants, an overdose of heroin is very dangerous and can be fatal. This is because breathing can slow down so much that it stops altogether. It also suppresses the coughing reflex, and the action of the digestive system, so longer-term use can lead to chest infections like pneumonia, and chronic constipation. Heroin is highly addictive. Many of the health risks from heroin are more to do with the lifestyle of many users, such as a lack of health care, dental care, good diet or proper sleep. Injecting any drug carries risks, such as infections at injecting sites, which can lead to serious infections like gangrene (where parts of the body die and start to rot) and also the risk of catching blood borne viruses, which can be fatal.

Minimising the risks: It is much less easy to overdose when smoking heroin than from injecting. Overdoses are more common after a period of abstinence (such as being in prison) or when using drugs stronger than you are used to. Click here for more information about overdose, what to do if one happens, and how to prevent it. There are also fewer long-term health risks from smoking than injecting. Risks from injecting can be minimised by always using clean needles and other equipment, which can be picked up for free from a needle exchange. It is important to try to take care of your health under any circmstances, this includes eating well and visiting a doctor if you have concerns about your health.

Other Opiates

Methadone is a synthetic opiate used in the treatment of heroin addiction. This is described as 'maintenance', because it is possible to to take a constant dose without withdrawal - rather than having to constantly increase the dose to get the same effect, as you would with heroin. While methadone has similar effects to heroin, they are longer-lasting and it does not give users the same initial 'high', so it is considered better for treatment purposes. However it is also very addictive and has negative side effects like constipation and sleep disturbance. It is also dangerous and overdose can be fatal.

There are several other medical opiates, such as Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Fentanyl, Solpadol and Co-Codamol. These vary in strength, can be prescription drugs or over-the-counter, and often come combined with other drugs like aspirin or paracetamol. These medical opiates are just as addictive as heroin, and just as dangerous - it is possible to overdose and die from using them. Those combined with other drugs can have additional serious side-effects from long-term use, for example liver damage as a result of taking high doses of paracetamol.

Opium is made from the opium poppy, and is less processed than other natural opiates like heroin or morphine. It is a sticky black paste which is dried and smoked, and gives users a similar 'floaty' high to heroin.