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Signs Of Heroin Use

Being able to recognize the signs of heroin use could save someone’s life. Today, with nearly 1 million users in the U.S., it’s a good idea to post about the key things to keep an eye out to realize someone is using it. Recognizing them could literally be a matter of life and death. Knowing exactly what to look for is the key. The point here is to get them help, before it’s too late.

  • According to the CDC, an estimated 13,000 heroin overdose deaths occurred in 2020.

Due to the nature of this addiction, its affect on the brain’s chemical makeup, as well as the physical toll it takes on an individual. Users will do their very best to mask a dependency on the drug. Beyond stumbling upon a loved one or friend actually engaged in using it, it’s important to have a well-rounded understanding of the drug itself, the tools or paraphernalia involved and it’s effect individuals.

When trying to determine whether someone is using this drug knowing what it looks like, the methods of of use and the most common paraphernalia are 3 important key factors.

Once its ingested in any way, gets users intoxicated immediately. Some of the physical manifestations this “high” include the following:

  • Dilated pupils
  • Red spots – “needle tracks”
  • Flushed skin
  • Dry mouth
  • Nodding in & out of sleep
  • Slow breathing
  • Runny nose
  • Slurred speech
  • Sleepy eyes

Packaging

An often overlooked factor is the packaging the drug comes in, small baggies, tinfoil, cut and folded pieces of paper that might be incidentally discarded in trashcans.

  • Powder -It can come in the form of a powdery or crumbly substance, in colors ranging from off-white to brown.
  • Black-Tar – Black tar is the exception in that it is nearly black and instead of being in white powder form.  It is sticky to the touch.

Paraphernalia

Perhaps the most obvious clues are the various tools and apparatus used in the preparation and usage. The three most common methods are snorting, smoking and injecting it. Each method involves paraphernalia, such as;

Pipes

  • Glass or metal pipes – These tools are used to smoke it

Snorting Tubes

  • Straws cut in half – Look for plastic straws cut in half or quarters laying around or in the garbage
  • rolled up bills – Easily hidden objects that can used to snort the powder form. Look for any small amount of residue on the tip of keys

Syringes

  • Hypodermic needles are needed in order to inject it. Burners to heat it up into liquid form.

Things Used to “cook” it (heat up and mix with liquid)

  • Spoons
  • metal bottle caps

Constriction Devices

  • Belts
  • bandanas
  • scarves
  • rubber tubing

Effects

Regular or long-term use will manifest in users physically because the chemical drive to avoid withdrawal and get the drug trumps everything else, including eating or basic levels of hygiene. Some of the things indicating long-term use can include:

  • Constipation
  • Skin Infections
  • Intravenous use causes havoc on the the user’s skin.
  • Long-sleeve shirts
  • constantly wearing long sleeve shirts, even in the midst of summer heat, in effort to hide needle marks, called “tracks,” on the arm
  • weak immunity system
  • Use takes a very heavy toll on the user’s overall health and immune system.
  • Vomiting or regular complaints of nausea

Cut

Looking at how it was “cut”. This drug is always reduced, or “cut” first with some other substance. This list of “normal” household items may indicate the use. Of all the items on the list, baby laxative may trigger the most telling sign, which is diarrhea. Some other substance, including;

  • baby laxative
  • sugar
  • flour
  • caffeine
  • starch
  • powdered milk
  • quinine

Fentanyl is often used which can immediately trigger an overdose.

Users that get help or abstain for a period of time commonly relapse and use the same amount of the drug as they did before stopping. Having lost their tolerance to the opiate, their cardiovascular system shuts down and they cease breathing. Moreover, users have no idea as to the purity or makeup of the substance they’re ingesting.

In June 2016, at Yale-New Haven Hospital, healthcare workers treated more than 20 cases of overdose due to “an as of yet unknown synthetic opioid,” writes The New Haven Register. This most recent event is by no means an anomaly. Hospitals in communities all over the U.S. are experiencing similar situations.

While state and federal legislators hem and haw over what direction or action to take, law enforcement officials, civic and neighborhood leaders are learning more so they can promote compassion, understanding and most of all help others seek treatment. The responsibility to care for our families, friends and neighbors has therefore fallen to local communities who must, at the very least, understand and recognize use as early as they become visible.