How Do People Get Addicted to Heroin

In 2022, 32 deaths in Tampa, Florida, were associated with heroin. No one ever thinks they’re going to be the one who dies of an overdose, and yet it happens.

If you’re someone who has never tried heroin, you might ask yourself, “How do people let it get to this point? Why don’t they stop?”

At Real Recovery Solutions, we understand the reality of heroin use disorder. When someone is living with heroin use disorder, they need support to reclaim their lives. Support doesn’t just come from medical professionals – it also comes from the people in their lives who understand what they’re going through. As a friend or loved one, you can help by staying informed.

That’s why today we’re answering the question, “How do people get addicted to heroin?”

What Is Heroin?

If you’re concerned that a loved one has a heroin use disorder, it’s important to understand exactly what the substance is so you know how to identify it. Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid that is usually bought as a white or brownish powder. The substance is derived from the opium found in poppies that grow in warm, dry climates, like central Asia.

Once opium is extracted from the poppy, it is cooked and combined with several chemicals to create what is commonly known as heroin. Because heroin is illegal to produce, there is not a standard method for making heroin. It’s also commonly cut with other substances to increase sellers’ profit. Heroin can be cut with anything from baby powder to dry milk to rat poison. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know exactly what’s in any particular dose of heroin.

When heroin is in its powder form, it is usually stored in small baggies and snorted using straws or rolled-up dollar bills. It is very common for people to take heroin by melting it down and injecting it directly into the vein. In this case, lighters, burnt spoons, tin foil, and needles are all common tools. If you’re concerned that someone in your life is taking heroin, keep an eye out for these items.

What Happens in the Brain During Heroin Addiction?

When heroin enters the body, it’s broken down into morphine. The morphine then attaches itself to opioid receptors located throughout the brain, spinal cord, and stomach.

Usually, these opioid receptors are connected to the natural opioids produced in the body, like endorphins, which are your body’s natural painkillers. Morphine floods the brain with endorphins, activating the brain’s reward center. As the body and brain adjust to the amount of endorphins that heroin produces, the opioids your body naturally produces no longer feel like enough. Things that generally produce endorphins, like exercise or hanging out with friends, no longer feel as pleasurable by comparison. This is how people develop a psychological and physical reliance on heroin, also known as heroin use disorder.

Over time, the brain builds up a tolerance even to these intense amounts of endorphins. So, someone needs more and more of the substance to feel the same effects. At this point, someone with heroin use disorder will struggle to feel stress relief and other positive emotions without heroin. When someone with heroin use disorder doesn’t have heroin in their system, they’ll begin to experience physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.

However, this doesn’t mean that your loved one can’t stop using heroin. Recovery is always possible. People living with heroin use disorder reclaim their lives with the right treatment and support every day. You’re taking the right steps to help your loved one by doing research like this.

What Are the Causes and Risk Factors for Heroin Addiction?

Many potential risk factors can lead to heroin use disorder. Very often, substance use disorders develop when someone is trying to cope with stress or trauma. Heroin is a depressant that dulls pain. If someone you love has experienced a physical or emotional trauma, they may be taking heroin to cope with what they’ve gone through. 

It’s not just recent traumas that lead to heroin use disorder. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are also common in people who develop heroin use disorder. This could include childhood abuse, poverty, or other harmful events the person experienced as a child.

Heroin use disorders are more common in people who witnessed family or friends taking heroin while they were growing up. This kind of behavior often normalizes substance use. A family history of substance use could also indicate a genetic predisposition for risky behavior, which could lead to heroin consumption.

Simply having access to heroin is another risk factor that can lead to heroin use disorder. If your loved one has recently started spending time with someone who uses heroin or knows how to get it, heroin use might feel more normal to them.

Having individual risk factors does not necessarily mean that someone will develop a heroin use disorder. Still, it’s important to know if they apply to you or someone you know.

Who Experiences Heroin Addiction?

The unfortunate reality is that heroin use disorder doesn’t discriminate – it can be developed by anyone.

In 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated that at least a million Americans were living with a heroin use disorder. Heroin use is most common among adults 26 years of age and older. It also affects slightly more men than it does women. However, these are just statistics. If you’re worried about someone who doesn’t fit this description, your concerns are still valid.

Are There Multiple Stages of Heroin Addiction?

As stated above, heroin use disorder can start as early as the first dose. However, it is common for someone to experiment with the substance before they experience addiction. Let’s review a few stages now.

Initial Use of Heroin

The first time someone tries heroin, they’re usually experimenting. At this stage, someone might not even have their own supply. Often, experimentation like this occurs in a social setting. Sometimes, people who develop a heroin use disorder initially try a prescription opioid before discovering that heroin is cheaper.

At this stage, it can be difficult to identify a heroin use disorder in someone you care about. He or she probably isn’t showing obvious signs that they’re experimenting with illicit substances. You might notice smaller changes, though. For example, the person you’re worried about might be hanging out with new people, changing their schedule a lot, or spending more money than usual.

Repeated Use of Heroin

After initially trying heroin, someone who’s developing a heroin use disorder will then transition to regular use. During this stage, heroin consumption has become a regular part of their routine. Someone who is regularly taking heroin will still be trying to conceal their use. They might limit their consumption to weekends or evenings.

By this stage, you’ll be able to notice that something isn’t right. Your loved one will have trouble focusing on tasks and being productive. They’ve started to withdraw from their usual hobbies and might be unable to explain their recent behavior. If you’re concerned that someone you know is hiding their repeated heroin use from you, try having an open dialogue about it. Let them know you care and are there to support them, not judge them.

Constant Use of Heroin

Eventually, this develops into near-constant substance use. At this stage, a person with heroin use disorder is likely taking heroin multiple times a day, just to ensure they don’t go into withdrawal. This person will probably have notable health issues from the damage that substance use is doing to their immune system.

At this point, if you don’t realize that your loved one is consuming heroin specifically, you probably suspect that he or she is taking substances. You will also notice life problems that have occurred as a result of your loved one’s heroin use. They might have difficulty keeping a job or having enough money to support themselves.

If your loved one is constantly taking heroin, you’re right to be concerned. This person cannot quit on their own. But they are still the person you know, and there is hope. In a treatment program that caters to their specific needs, your loved one can succeed in recovery.

Heroin Addiction Treatment in Tampa, Florida

Knowing that your loved one has developed a heroin use disorder is scary. But you can help. They need your love and encouragement to seek heroin addiction treatment.

At Real Recovery, your loved one will get real results in your recovery from heroin use disorder. We will empower the person you love with a 12-step focused program and the evidence-based treatment they need. We’ll also support them with additional resources, like employment opportunities, continuing education, SNAP benefits, and more. Call us at 813-373-6762 to learn more about how we can help today. 

Real people. Real solutions. Real results