Why is heroin so destructive?

[janef001]

I have a friend in the UK who I was chatting to after connecting on LinkedIn. She told me that one of the popular middle class girls ended up dying on the streets after overdosing on heroin.

I don't like saying it but she doesn't fit the typical stereotype of a heroin user. Her parents were educated at Oxford and while not very rich, they were pretty well off. Apparently, she went over to the States for work, got hooked on opioids, and moved to cheaper heroin. The stealing and lying eventually led her to burning bridges with her family and friends.

I feel sad that she ended like that but for some reason I've heard that strong opioids are the quickest way to destitution. I know far more people who've become addicted from prescription stuff (in the UK less so but in America with benzos and opioids and going downhill quickly) compared to alcohol. This girl did party excessively beforehand but I don't think anyone would have called her an addict at the time.

Alcohol is by far the most dangerous, destructive and harmful substance used to alter one's mind. I've worked in addictions, treatment and homelessness and alcohol is awful.

Heroin and other worse opioids are dreadful as well.

Stimulants I'd say bring you down quicker. Meth, crack etc.

Heroin and other opiates feel warm and comforting. They feel like the best fluffy warm cuddle you could have. Then you need more of it to get that same feeling and then you're physically addicted. You end up not caring about anything else as long as you get that drug hug.

It's not like a stimulate high, it's different.

Oh and middle class is a protective factor in having a hard life or doing drugs.

Lots of middle class kids at uni doing lots of ket, failing uni and ending up on heroin in my city.

Drugs are fun, they make you feel good, they're a sociable thing to do whatever class you are.

Isn't a protective

Heroin is like another pp said a warm cosy hug that the user then goes for more trying to get that same warm feeling,it absolutely ruins family's and most users just end up meeting other users and it then becomes a circle 'friends' users all looking for the same feeling. Many find it unbearable when trying to come off heroin as it physically hurts your bones and muscles.

Dopesick on Prme starring Michael Keaton explains that level of addiction incredibly well, I'd really recommend it.

I grew up in a town known for a very expensive private school. I know a number of former pupils who ended up on heroin, none of whom would fit the smackhead stereotype. All naice upper class boys who had good futures ahead of them. I know of one who died of an overdose, don't know what happened to the others. Drugs of all sorts were rife there at the time, and my wealthy and desirable hometown wasn't exactly clean, either. This was the early 90s though, things have probably changed now (I hope).

@BlueRaincoat1 has already recommended DopeSick on Disney+
It’s brilliant but awful viewing, and helps to explain the difference in prescribing cultures between the US and UK, and what triggered the opioid crisis.

The opioid crisis is really not about heroin. Not for the last about 7-10 years at least. It's fentanyl and the like. Synthetic opioids.

Getting your hands on heroin in North America is really difficult now. It's all laced with fentanyl.

This animation explains it so well.

Because it’s addictive in itself. Alcohol and plenty of other drugs, both legal and illegal can be addictive, but plenty of people can and do use them recreationally, but I’ve never heard of anyone that uses heroin occasionally or recreationally, it’s all or nothing.
Plus it’s expensive and not a habit that fits in with a normal life for long. It’s possible to be addicted to alcohol and some other drugs and still be functioning, sometimes for a lifetime. But the functioning period of addiction to heroin is very short lived.

I didn't know heroin was more of a warm hug than rush/high. Is speed then more like the latter?

I've known a few addicts in my life from different backgrounds but one thing that the more well off had was the ability to keep attempting to go back to rehab tho in the end he could never commit to staying clean.

Three main classes of drug.

Depressants/painkillers. Heroin, alcohol, benzos.

Stimulants. Speed, meth, coke/crack.

Hallucinogens. Cannabis, LSD, mushrooms.

Alcohol is the most destructive drug. Heroin in itself isn't that bad if you can get adequate supplies. It's the withdrawal that's the killer.

A close family member was an addict and it destroyed their life. Ending up in prison , failed relationship and leaving children in their wake

Thankfully 15 years clean now but it was a destructive time

Booze does more systemic damage than heroin I'd say. But that's compared to clean heroin. The main problem with heroin is that it's illegal so quality is variable and getting a hold of it and using it means being in situations that are often incompatible with having a regulated life.

Never taken heroin but have had morphine and I would also describe that as a warm hug, could barely feel my body after been given it. It was amazing! I can see why heroin would be so addictive. Codeine also gives me a very warm, fuzzy feeling. I take it for migraines but purposefully won’t take it for more than a day because I do quite like the feeling it gives!

I know an ex addict, who used to explain the pull of opiates: alcohol makes you feel sick, and you get a hangover. That’s crap. Speed, cocaine. You get a high, that’s all giddy then a comedown. Which is awful. Dope, E whatever, just remove inhibitions make you worry you will act like a bit of a twat.

but heroin— it’s like the best version of you. There’s no pain, no aches. It’s warm, fuzzy without being frightened that you might feel out of control. That slow feeling when you wake up from a deep restful sleep. Then it’s never ever quite as good as That One Time. and you need more and more to achieve less and less. And withdrawal hurts. Everywhere.

i wasn’t tempted!

Like a pp I was prescribed morphine after an operation and it made me feel awful, couldn’t see straight, felt sick and worse didn’t even stop the pain.

Interesting about morphine. I had oral morphine when I had kidney stones but it did absolutely nothing. Didn't receive the pain and didn't make me.feel good. I do remember wondering at the time what all the fuss was about.

I've never taken heroin but having observed (documentaries are my only source) they do tend to just slump after taking it. So is it just about that being a comforting feeling? I'm sure I read somewhere that you only need to take it three times before addiction sets in, so it's very dangerous.

I’ve also had oral morphine and it didn’t do a thing. It is to be the real deal! You literally feel it hitting you’re veins.

@VladmirsPoutine it's more a sink than a rush. A relaxed, comfy sinking in feathers. I was so lucky that I preferred pills and coke to heroin as a teenager!

Factually heroin isn't the most destructive. IF you can afford to take it it's the withdrawal and cravings that are.

Alcohol is far worse my own brother was/is a heroin addict. Been clean for 15 yrs now.

Some terrible times are behind him.

"Naice" and middle class doesn't preclude somebody from suffering awful experiences in childhood like abuse, neglect, sexual abuse etc.

Some of the most fucked up people I know come from "naice" families (because sometimes, appearance is everything but behind closed doors is a different story) and according to them, the private schools are riddled with drugs because everyone is loaded and there can be a kind of sense that "consequences don't apply to people like us".

I've never taken any opioid but I understand the feeling is like being loved and cared about, like wrapped in a blanket and all your problems go away. You know when you give your baby/toddler a big cuddle and they go from being distraught to being totally calm and contented. If somebody has never experienced that from a human, particularly never felt it as a young child, or only fleetingly and feels that it is out of reach, or struggles with their mental health in any way, you could imagine how it must be compelling to chase it from any source, even chemical. People don't generally go from being totally happy functional people and one day decide to take heroin and get addicted (which is how it was presented to us at school!)

@maddy68 ·''Alcohol is the most destructive drug. Heroin in itself isn't that bad if you can get adequate supplies. It's the withdrawal that's the killer.''

There are a lot of bizarre statements on this thread...

''isn't that bad''? what?

Of course taking heroin is completely destructive.

You can easily get hooked on it by using it only once or twice because it is so addctive.

Then it is a cycle of withdrawal all while your body and mental heal are slowly being destroyed. As the body gets used to it the high is less effective and you need to take more and more of it to try to maintain that initial state of ''bliss'' that can never be replicated.

Plus for people who choose to inject it there is a massive risk of overdose and the consequence of using potentially dirty needles.

Not to mention that addicts will lie to hide their habit and get themselves in a financial mess to fund it or turn to criminal acts.

Of course alcohol or any other addiction are awful too but let's not glamourise the use of heroin.

It is totally irresponsible.

Heroin can get you addicted at absolute warp speed, that's one reason. If you get completely hooked from the 1st time you 'just try' it, things will spiral out of control very fast and for a lot of people they never climb out of that hole again.