Heroin, also known as diamorphine, is an opiod drug synthesized from morphine. This article will discuss heroin use in the United States. If you or someone you know is addicted to heroin, don't hesitate to check them into a heroin rehab center. Some street names for heroin include smack, thunder, hell dust, big H, and nose drops.
Heroin Addiction
A survey taken in 2005, reported that over 3.5 million Americans have tried heroin, representing over 1% of the population. From the same survey, 379,000 reported heroin use during the previous 12 months. In the same year, there were 164,572 US emergency-room admissions where heroin was involved.
How is it Taken?
Heroin can be:
- Injected
- Snorted
- Smoked
All three forms can be highly addictive. Injection used to be the most common method because it results in the most rapid euphoria (7-8 seconds) and has the greatest intensity. When heroin is snorted or smoked it produces a rush much later (10-15 minutes). However, snorting and smoking are becoming more common due to the health risks associated with sharing a needle. One of the potential risks of sharing a needle is HIV transmission.
Where does it come from?
Opium poppies, from which heroin is made, is not grown domestically in the United States and is imported from four different areas around the world:
- South America (Colombia)
- Southeast Asia (mainly Burma)
- Southwest Asia (mainly Afghanistan)
- North America (Mexico)
South American heroin is the most available in the East Coast. Whereas Mexican heroin, commonly known as black tar, is mainly available on the West Coast. In 2000, South American, Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin ranged from $40,000 to $200,000 per kilogram. Mexican heroin was generally less expensive, costing between $13,200 and $175,000 per kilogram. This price discrepancy can largely be explained by purity and transportation costs.
Common Demographics
In 2008 in California, over 70% of the people admitted to a rehab center for heroin use were male. The spread across age groups was fairly even, but the most common age demographic to be admitted was between 46-50 years old, representing 16% of the people checked into a rehab center for heroin abuse. Heroin use amongst youth is also regarded as a huge problem. A Monitoring the Future study, reported that 1.5% of eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders had used heroin at some point.
Summary
Heroin addiction is a serious problem in the United States and across the world, afflicting hundreds of thousands of people in horrific, physically and psychologically damaging way. If you or someone you know is suffering from heroin abuse, please read more about how to quit heroin, and contact a heroin rehab center for professional help in a safe environment.
Resources
- http://www.focusas.com/Heroin.html
- http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/heroin.html
- http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/heroin_factsheet.html
- http://www.doitnow.org/pages/514.html
All Treatment does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.