Heroin - How Is It Taken?

How Is It Taken?

Heroin is popular because its effects can be felt almost immediately. This is because heroin is the most fat soluble of the natural opiates. This means that a highly fat-soluble drug enters the bloodstream faster and moves to the brain faster, no matter how it is taken.

The traditional picture of a heroin user is well known from photographs and films. A user buys powdered heroin from a dealer (usually a few doses at a time), dissolves the heroin in water, and then "cooks" the dose over heat. The user then draws up a dose into a hypodermic needle and injects it into a vein. Users must be careful to inject a vein and not an artery, because heroin injected into an artery can cause severe damage to a limb or an internal organ. Over time, veins subjected to repeated injections grow hard or collapse, and the user must find new veins in other parts of the body. Hard-core heroin use leaves tell-tale needle tracks in the arms.

Injected heroin causes a brief, intense rush of pleasure, followed by a four- to six-hour period of weariness and well-being. Breathing slows, and the user experiences no pain. However, he or she may experience skin irritation that is relieved by scratching. Heroin activates the part of the brain that governs vomiting, so users often throw up right after injecting. They sometimes use the force of their nausea to judge the strength of the dose.

Some users inject heroin right under the skin—a process called "chipping." Users also inject it into muscle tissue as well. Both of these processes delay the onset of the high by several minutes.

The increased purity of street heroin has led to two new delivery systems: smoking and snorting. Many first-time users snort the drug, confident that they are avoiding AIDS and other infections caused by

Many heroin users inject the drug after converting the powder to liquid form. Over time, veins subjected to repeated injections grow hard or collapse. Hard-core heroin use leaves tell-tale needle tracks in the arms and legs. Garry Watson/Scienc
Many heroin users inject the drug after converting the powder to liquid form. Over time, veins subjected to repeated injections grow hard or collapse. Hard-core heroin use leaves tell-tale needle tracks in the arms and legs. Garry Watson/Science Photo Library.

needle sharing. Some users may be under the impression that snorting or smoking heroin reduces the chances of dependence. This is not the case. Any method of heroin intake can expose the user to a cycle of increased usage, leading eventually to addiction and (in many cases) the use of needles to get the best high for the price.