Signs of Heroin Abuse

There are many signs of heroin abuse to look for if you suspect someone you care about is using. Heroin abuse affects the user.s brain. It enters their brain quickly and slows down the way they think, their reaction time, and their memory. This affects the way they act and make decisions. Nine out of ten heroin abusers when questioned about their heroin abuse will deny it. However, there are several early warning signs of heroin abuse that may serve as pointers.

One of the many signs of heroin abuse takes place when the heroin abuser wakes up in the morning. On waking up, the heroin abuser rushes to the bathroom. But unlike most people, they spend longer periods of time. This may extend to well over an hour because heroin, being a narcotic, causes constipation. Also, while high the addict is disoriented in time. It is also possible to detect withdrawal symptoms when the addict wakes up in the morning. This usually manifests in a running nose and eyes, restlessness, yawning, coughing, sneezing, gooseflesh, fever, chills, cramps in the abdomen, back and calf muscles, muscular twitching, aching joints, loose motions, vomiting and mental confusion.

Another one of the many signs of heroin abuse includes the user.s eating habits. The heroin abuser generally has a poor appetite. This can sometimes make it easier for parents to notice that their child is eating less or losing weight fast. On an average, a heroin abuser will loses 22 pounds by the time they complete one year of heroin abuse.

There are also changes in the heroin abusers food preferences. There is a sudden craving for sweet dishes. Often, the heroin user may interrupt his or her meal and go to the bathroom to vomit. Also, the user may slip into a heroin 'nod' and doze off at the table. Their sleep pattern becomes owlish. They stay awake during the night. At times their sleep is punctuated by bouts of coughing. In the later stages of addiction, the abuser does not seem to sleep at all.

Some addicts when interviewed also revealed that heroin initially triggered off sexual promiscuity. Male heroin abusers talked of frequenting brothels. This is because, during the first few days, heroin serves as an aphrodisiac, and delays ejaculation time by as much as 45 minutes. However, after a month or two, the sex drive wanes. Users often complain of impotency. The impotency that sets in is reversible. In about a month after giving up, the patient is back to normal. Depression sets in at this point. An average college male, who has a keen interest in the opposite sex, suddenly loses all interest. (This is usually more marked from the third year of addiction).

There are other tell-tale signs of heroin abuse. If the heroin abuser is allowed to smoke cigarettes in the house, the contents of the ashtray will be very different from the non- abuser.s. There will be loose and un-burnt tobacco. This is because a little bit of tobacco is removed from the cigarette to create space for the heroin to be added. If the addict is chasing the drug, one can notice matchsticks much more in proportion to the cigarette butts. The match sticks will be burnt to the end. If the drug is smoked in cigarettes, then one finds that the cigarette is smoked down to the filter.