Heroin is a classic opioid, previously being used in conjunction with morphine, now a classified and illegal drug.
It is usually sniffed, snorted, and injected, or commonly mixed with cocaine (speed-balling).
Heroin’s fastest path to the brain is through injection directly into the bloodstream.
Due to heroin’s high strength, it releases intense dopamine to discharge feelings of relaxation and happiness.
This is one of its most addictive qualities.
If you’re looking for help overcoming heroin addiction, call our admissions team today on 0800 140 4690
When you experience pain, you produce natural opioids to relieve severe discomfort.
These opioids don’t tend to last long and their effects wear off very quickly.
Heroin works like a strong version of these natural opioids, entering your body and binding itself to opioid receptors in the brain.
These receptors are tied to pain relief, pleasure, breathing and heart rate.
During the use of heroin, individuals will experience slowed breathing and heart rate.
With a reduction in oxygen, the brain and organs are starved of this vital gas. This could possibly lead to brain damage.
Under the influence of drugs, your brain’s opioid receptors absorb excess opioids from an external source.
Consequently, the brain yields fewer natural opioids. This lacking in natural opioids makes your brain rely on the external opioids that heroin provides.
As a result, you use heroin more often.
Heroin alters the reward system structure of the brain.
This reinforces addictive behaviour and can cause a physical dependency on heroin.
Addiction is considered a chronic disease, something very difficult to put into recession.
If you become dependent, your brain’s tolerance regarding the substance will increase. You will require larger doses more often to achieve the desired effects for pain and euphoria.
Over time, there is a harmful build-up of proteins in the brain.
Heroin has been found to create inflammation in the brain.
Despite this being low-grade, it has been linked to damage synonymous with Alzheimer’s due to the build-up of these proteins.
Because of this build-up, you are likely to experience symptoms commonly associated with dementia, such as:
Constant use can also destroy the white matter in your brain.
White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system, part of the brain and spinal cord containing nerve fibres.
Losing large amounts of white matter is detrimental to reasoning and decision-making, also making it hard to regulate behaviour and stress levels.
If you are unable to make decisions and reason efficiently, this can also lead to negative behaviours and reinforce drug-taking behaviour.
Cognitive impairment poses a serious risk to health and well-being, so get the help you need by calling our team on 0800 140 4690
Drugs like heroin throw hormonal and neurological systems out of balance.
You may experience depression and chronic fatigue as a result of use.
Major issues also cover
Most of these are the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain.
The longer and more you use, the more you put yourself at risk.
With every use, comes larger risks.
The more a person takes heroin, the fewer natural opioids the brain will produce.
Understanding how heroin affects the nervous system ensures critical understanding regarding why heroin has the effect it does, a euphoric high.
The nervous system is comprised of nerves and cells, responsible for delivering messages between the brain, spine, and body.
Heroin directly impacts the areas related to pleasure, including the frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens.
These circuits are related to enjoyment and sex, involving levels of dopamine.
With heroin, the dopamine in amplified, changing the brain’s reward pathways:
These circuits are important for natural rewards such as what comes when you enjoy a meal or have sex.
So if you were to do something pleasurable, such as eat, your dopamine level would increase.
However, with heroin the increase in dopamine is extreme and even goes so far as to change your brain’s reward pathways.
Following the use of heroin, signal pathways for pain become overreactive. Your brain is then telling you to keep using it to maintain a sense of normality regarding pain.
Long-term use affects two specific areas of the brain:
These two areas are vital in controlling:
This impact on the nervous system can make control and judgement problematic, clouding memory and rational thought.
To learn more about the impact of heroin and other opioids on your nervous system, talk to our experts on 0800 140 4690
It can be unsafe when a drug user suddenly stops using.
Heroin withdrawal symptoms are both physical and mental, and all of them have effect on the brain.
These symptoms include:
The safest route of withdrawal is to attend a detox centre or see a healthcare professional.
If you can slowly reduce the amount you use, this would be safer for your brain. Why? Opioids alter the brain during use and withdrawal.
Nobody can tell if the brain fully recovers after heroin, but here are some factors that affect recovery:
The reason withdrawal is so intense is that the brain of the user has been hardwired to generate sensations in response to the drug.
Activities and people that used to give you the same pleasure have now lost their impact.
As you adapt to heroin, your brain requires more to get the same high, increasing the risk of overdose.
Even if you want to quit, your brain will trigger cravings in order to experience what it requires. This is why addiction is classed as a disease.
With every dose comes more risk.
Do not be frightened to reach out to us or a loved one if you believe you need support – we are all here to help.
Getting support now is crucial in the prevention of overdose or relapse, so call us now to discuss your many treatment options.
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
