How does heroin addiction occur?

These are the Biological and psychological elements that lead to the emergence of heroin addiction.

Heroin is probably the drug with the greatest addictive potential, and the second most dangerous in terms of the damage it causes both to the user and to his or her social environment.

It is therefore not surprising that it falls into the category of hard drugs and that every year many efforts are made both to help people who want to "wean off" this substance and those who want to continue using it without exposing themselves to all the health risks associated with this practice: transmission of diseases through sharing needles, STDs due to imprudent sexual behavior, etc.

All this has to do with the potent effects of heroin, which are capable of generating a strong dependence in a relatively short period of time even by the standards of hard drugs, and which lead those who consume it to lose control of their lives practically without realizing it. In this article we will take a look at how heroin addiction develops and what elements are involved in it.

What is heroin?

First of all, let's start with the most important thing: what is heroin? This substance, also known as diamorphine or diacetylmorphine is an opioid-type drug derived from morphine and synthesized for the first time in 1874 by the English chemist Charles Romley Alder Wright.. Injected into a vein, heroin is characterized by producing a state of euphoria and well-being that is followed by a wide variety of very harmful and potentially fatal side effects.

All of them have to do with the depressant effects of this drug on the nervous system, that is to say, the decrease of its activity in areas linked to consciousness and executive functions, which can be considered sedation. Among these side effects and complications due to overdose, the following stand out decreased respiration, digestive problems, heart disease, or directly cardiac arrest and death..

Initially, this substance was marketed as an analgesic substitute for morphine, since it was erroneously believed to be less addictive than the latter. Today, its marketing and use beyond medical prescription or its use in research is illegal.

Elements that cause and maintain heroin addiction

These are the elements that make heroin addiction one of the most powerful and dangerous addictions.

Chemical addiction in the brain

Heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier, which acts as a filter between the circulatory system and the central nervous system, and comes into contact with the nerve cells of the brain.. Once there, it interacts with a series of neurotransmitter receptors, which are parts of the neurons attached to their membrane (their outer and most superficial layer) and whose function is to capture specific molecules that the neurons exchange among themselves to communicate with each other and trigger certain mechanisms both in each other and in other parts of the body.

In this way, the drug acts by substituting specific neurotransmitters that are naturally available in the central nervous system, coupling to neurotransmitter receptors ready to "capture" the neurotransmitter receptors. The neurons activated by heroin send anomalous activation patterns to other nerve cells, which in turn do the same, and in the end the whole functioning of the organism is "unbalanced", since nervous activity also influences the endocrine system, responsible for the management and production of hormones.

In particular, heroin seems to particularly enhance the activity of mu opioid receptors, whose role in the nervous system is associated with analgesia and decreased anxiety levels.

As the immediate effects of heroin are often pleasurable, the person gradually becomes accustomed to using it, and at the same time their brain is being modified to prioritize this type of gratifying experiences..

The chemical action of heroin on the networks of neurons in the brain causes them to change both in their chemical functioning and in the way they establish connections with the other parts of the brain; in other words, the nervous system changes both chemically and physically. The brain's reward system, in charge of orienting our actions towards goals and incentives that motivate us, is transformed in such a way that heroin becomes more and more the absolute priority.

2. The weakening of social and long-term incentives.

As we have seen, in a relatively short time, heroin turns our brain into a set of organs whose function is to enable us to find and consume more heroin. This means that over time the drug eclipses all other sources of daily motivation, overriding hygiene, personal health and personal relationships.The latter, in turn, leads heroin users to become increasingly isolated, weakening their emotional ties.

This, in turn, leads heroin users to become increasingly isolated, weakening their emotional ties with friends and family, and their social circle is reduced to other people with addictions, since in such an environment it is easier to have immediate access to the drug. Thus, at the same time that heroin is gaining importance as an incentive, what is around the addicted person loses its capacity to offer other stimulating and exciting experiences..

3. The pressure of the context

In the previous paragraphs we saw that the context plays an important role in the consolidation and maintenance of addiction, given that if there are no sources of motivation capable of competing with drug use, the person becomes more and more locked into environments and lifestyles in which the only option is to continue using these substances.

But at the same time, often it is the people in this new social circle who exert pressure (even unintentionally) on the person. (even unintentionally) so that each of its individuals continue to use drugs and find it very difficult to get off. For example, by offering needles, hanging out in places that everyone associates with sitting and consuming heroin or any other drug, keeping secrets related to the buying and selling of the substance, etc.

4. Health problems

Heroin has very harmful effects both physically and psychologically, so that those who have already developed an addiction have to face many forms of discomfort: infections, accelerated aging, pain, anxiety when you have not used for several hours, etc. In the absence of professional help, all of this predisposes people to attempt to predisposes people to try to block this discomfort in the only way they know how: distracting themselves with drugs..

Are you looking for help with addiction?

If you are suffering from addiction problems or dual pathology, contact us. At CITA Clinics we specialize in the treatment of addictions with and without drugs, both from psychotherapy and from medical and psychiatric intervention, and we offer occasional therapy sessions, support in outpatient care and also admissions in our fully equipped residential module located in the middle of nature. Nos encontrarás en la zona de Mataró y Barcelona; para ver nuestros datos de contacto, accede a esta página.

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