Pure and Black Tar Heroin
In the United States today, you can buy two types of heroin: pure heroin and “black tar” heroin. Pure heroin comes from South America and Southeast Asia and is a white powder with a bitter taste. Most of the heroin sold in the eastern United States is this form of heroin. Black tar heroin comes from Mexico and is sold mainly in the states west of the Mississippi River. It is typically sticky like roofing tar or hard like coal and gets its dark color from the processing, which leaves behind impurities.
Injected, Snorted and Smoked
A user injects, snorts or smokes heroin to get their fix. All methods deliver this drug to the brain quickly. For black tar heroin, an individual usually dissolves and dilutes the drug, then injects it. Heroin in its powder form, on the other hand, can be more desirable to new users not ready to begin injection drug use because they can snort it. You can smoke either kind.
How Heroin Affects the Brain
Once heroin enters your brain, the body converts it back to morphine and it binds to opioid receptors, located in many areas of your brain and body. The changes heroin causes in your brain causes its high risk for addiction and the chronic recurrence of addiction symptoms that may follow after treatment. Long-term effects of heroin addiction on the brain include:
Tolerance - over time you will need more of the drug to achieve the same effectDependence - you will need to use heroin do prevent withdrawal symptomsPossible deterioration of the brain’s white matter, which affects your ability to make decisions, regulate behavior, and appropriately respond to stressful situations
Alcohol and Heroin Is a Deadly Combo
A person who overdoses is likely to be under the influence of more than one substance. Studies show that 47% to 98% of overdose deaths involve multiple drugs (depending on the location and drugs being studied). A combination of alcohol and heroin is especially dangerous because both substances suppress your ability to breathe. If you can’t breathe properly, the lack of oxygen can cause hypoxia, which can result in short- and long-term effects, including coma and permanent brain damage. Respiratory failure is an overwhelmingly common cause of overdose deaths.
Effects of Heroin Treatment on Alcohol Consumption
Drinking alcohol is a suggested risk factor for heroin addiction. When someone with opioid addiction goes n into treatment, either methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) or heroin-assisted treatment (HAT), their alcohol consumption often goes down too, according to a study published in the journal Alcohol. Researchers found the HAT patients had a greater reduction in alcohol consumption.
