Millions of Americans have admitted to being in a prolonged cycle of drug abuse, be it with legal or illegal highs. The implications of this can have a detrimental effect on a person’s life, causing them to ruin relationships with their family and friends, and lead to alienation of the outside world.

Heroin is considered to be one of the most addictive, and life-ruining substances available on the streets. There has recently been a rise in the use of heroin, which some have attributed to the crackdown on prescription drugs and medication, such as painkillers, which are often similar to heroin on a chemical level. This means that heroin has become cheaper, and more easily accessed by those seeking intense hits and highs. So, what changes happen in heroin addicts before and after their addiction?

What Happens to Heroin Addicts?

The most common way users consume heroin is directly into their vein in the form of an injection. The substance is often mixed with water and soaked up with a syringe. This method reduces the time taken for the user to experience the high, as it is being inserted directly into their blood stream. Heroin can also be snorted through your nose, smoked, or eaten. The latter two forms of consumption can dull the effects of the high, making them less popular amongst addicts.

When a person is high on heroin, the will feel an extreme form of physical relaxation, and a lightened sense of pain. Many use the substance to escape their troubles. These feelings are felt as the heroin inside their bodies turns into morphine, which is responsible for the feeling of relaxation, and decreased sensation of pain.

Regardless of how heroin is consumed, it is addictive. It is hard to think of anything else but the substance for heroin addicts before, and after a hit. An addict’s main goal in life is attaining more, so it should never be taken by anyone. If you have never tried it, and think it might be a good idea to try it once, don’t. It’s not. Just one hit can put you on the dark path to addiction.

Physical Changes in Heroin Addicts

There are many changes that happen in the appearance of heroin addicts before and after addiction. Some of these changes are:

• Weight Loss – Many heroin addicts loose substantial amounts of weight, this can be due to loss of appetite, or simply because eating is not a priority to them.
• Abscesses - Injecting heroin, especially these that have been mixed with harmful chemicals, can cause painfully sore, horrendously looking abscesses to form on your skin. One glance at what this can look like will be enough to deter most from ever trying heroin.
• Cellulite – This is caused by continues piercing of the skin through repetitive intravenous injections.
• Scabs on The Skin – Some users, whilst on heroin, may pick at their skin, causing it to bleed and scab up.
• Dark Spots – Some users who regularly consume heroin will develop dark spots on their face and body.
• Tooth Decay – The use of heroin, especially if smoked, can lead to serious tooth decay in users and in addicts.

Below are comparison photos of heroin addicts before and after:

The use of heroin was once a frightening prospect to most people. Yet there are those claiming that, some people have attempted to make the use of heroin fashionable. The reason these accusations have arisen is due to the fact that glossy magazines make the look of an addict – extreme thinness, blank expression, dark circles under the eyes, sunken cheeks – seem fashionable, and describe/sell it as ‘chic’. But once again, never try heroin.