D O W N E R S: Heroin What is it? Heroin, sometimes called "smack," "junk," "horse," "tar," or "China White" is a crystal powder. It is a kind of downer called an opiate because it comes from the opium poppy (a flower grown in the Far East and other places). It can be smoked, snorted (sniffed up the nose), or injected (intravenous, or IV) and was developed from morphine, an effective pain killer. Heroin has no medical use and because it is so addictive it's manufacture and import into the U.S. is illegal. The most common type of heroin sold in the U.S. comes from Mexico. How does it make you feel? Because heroin is a downer, it fools the body into thinking that there is some physical pain that needs to be blocked. So the brain sends out endorphins (see sidebar) to make the user feel better. The heroin user's "rush" of pleasure comes from the release of endorphins. If the user has emotional problems that he or she doesn't want to face, heroin will block that emotional pain. What does it do to your body? Heroin blocks the body's normal production of endorphins. Other major problems with IV users of heroin (or any other drugs) is the risk of infections spread by dirty needles. That includes hepatitis and AIDS. It is estimated that 50-80% of all IV heroin addicts in the New York area are HIV positive. Endorphins are the body's own natural pain blockers. They are also natural mellowing and "feel good" chemicals. The brain releases them when we've hurt ourselves. The brain also produces endorphins when we're having fun, falling in love, or doing something that makes us feel proud of ourselves. How easy is it to become "used to" the drug? All drugs are poison to your body. But because your body is so amazingly devoted to keeping you alive, it can become "tolerant" to having poison in it. Because their bodies are short of their own supply of endorphins the heroin addict become dependent on the drug just to feel "normal" and prevent the symptoms of heroin withdrawal. The mind and body of the user has changed because of the drug. They are not the same people they were, and their ability to make intelligent choices is gone. Committing crimes to get money to buy more heroin is very very common because heroin is expensive and the heroin addict's need for the drug is so strong. What is an overdose like? When too much heroin enters the brain the whole nervous system shuts down. Blood pressure drops because the heart is too weak to do its job. The lungs fill up with fluid. The user passes out, and if they aren't helped immediately, they will go into a coma and die. What's withdrawal like? Very painful. Why? Because during the whole time the user was doing heroin, the body shut down its own natural production of endorphins. When the user stops using the drug, the body has no more ability to deal with pain. In addition to pain there is fear and hyperactivity. Because these withdrawal symptoms are so severe most heroin treatment programs use medications to help the addict clear the drug out of the body. The real problem comes after the former heroin addict is "clean" (drug free). The urge to use the drug is so strong that they need lots of support to stay clean. If the user comes out of treatment and goes back to hanging out with the same friends, it is very likely that they will start using heroin again. (The same thing will happen with any person in recovery who returns to their same circle of drug-using friends.) Is it legal? No. If you want to learn more about heroin, heroin addiction, and treatment: [to be added] Getting High Naturally D O W N E R S

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