Heroin is considered to be one of the most strongly addictive drugs out there today. It is believed that between two and three million people in the United States use heroin at some point during their lives. This is an unfortunate statistic, as there are many negative short-term and long-term effects of the drug.

When the user injects heroin, it quickly makes its way to the brain and chemically converts into morphine. One of the reasons why it is associated with having such a strong addiction is because it acts so quickly. People describe the feeling or high as a rush of pleasure. The user also experiences a dry mouth, heavy arms and legs, and a warm feeling. Negative feelings can include itching and vomiting. Heroin then causes several hours of tiredness, during which the user’s thoughts are cloudy and heart rate and breathing slow, which can become very dangerous. How severe these effects of heroin are dependent on the purity of the drug taken and the amount.

Like all other substances that an individual has a physical addiction to, withdrawal symptoms occur when the addict doesn’t have enough heroin as they usually do in their body. This is because the body has attempted to adjust its functions to work with the drug. Heroin withdrawal symptoms can happen after a few hours and include physical pain, diarrhea, vomiting, insomnia, involuntary movements, cold flashes, and restlessness.

Long-term effects of heroin addiction can be devastating. Approximately one percent of all individuals with a heroin addiction in the United States die from overdose every year. Addicts can develop severe respiratory problems due to heroin’s effects on the lungs and sometimes die of respiratory depression. Liver and kidney disease, infections in blood vessels, arthritis, collapsed veins, and soft tissue infections are just some of the long-term effects of heroin addiction.