Heroin is part of the opioid drug class, which is primarily made up of painkillers used to treat severe pain. The short-term effects of heroin include euphoria, pain relief, and drowsiness, but the long-term effects of heroin include many health conditions that can put your life at serious risk. If you’re addicted to heroin, seeking heroin addiction treatment can help you avoid serious health problems associated with heroin use.
Nobody should have to overcome heroin addiction on their own without help, including you. If you’re suffering from heroin addiction, call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 800-442-6158 Who Answers? to speak with a drug abuse counselor who can help you find nearby drug rehab centers that treat heroin addiction.
Struggling with heroin addiction? Here are four serious health problems you can avoid by seeking help for your addiction.
1. Liver Problems
Heroin abuse can cause liver or kidney failure.
Your liver is responsible for breaking down the toxins in drugs like heroin. Heavy and/or long-term heroin abuse causes your liver to work harder than it should. Plus, your liver can be damaged and unable to properly break down toxins when overloaded with heroin and other opioid drugs.
If you’ve been using heroin for an extended period of time, you may be at higher risk for liver disease, liver failure, and liver cancer.
2. Lung Problems
Smoking increases your risk for lung disease, lung failure, and lung cancer, especially when you’re smoking highly toxic substances such as heroin. Inhaling heroin and other opioids can also lead to respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, and increases the risk for illnesses like pneumonia.
3. Kidney Failure
Since heroin offers pain relief, drowsiness, and sedation, heroin addicts can suffer kidney failure as a result of lying in the same position without moving for several hours. When your body lies in the same position for an extended period of time, your muscle tissue breaks down and releases into your bloodstream. This chemical reaction that occurs from muscle breakdown affects your kidneys, which are partly responsible for filtering waste and toxins like heroin from your body.
4. Gastrointestinal Problems
Heroin and opioid use can cause dehydration, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. Many heroin addicts rely on laxatives to treat constipation, which can damage the anus or sphincter. Additionally, heroin users frequently experience problems such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention — a severe type of bloating due to gas and fluid retention.
Heroin addiction treatment centers offer many therapies designed to help you overcome physical dependency on heroin, as well as the psychological causes of addiction. Your physician and health counselors at drug rehab centers will work with you on improving your overall health so you can successfully recover from heroin addiction.
If you’re suffering from heroin addiction, don’t put off getting treatment until it’s too late. Call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 800-442-6158 Who Answers? to speak with a drug abuse counselor about your drug rehab options. We’ll help you find local drug rehab centers that offer the treatments you need to successfully overcome heroin addiction.
