Heroin

What are opioids? This story contains Australian specific content marked in this colour

Some opioids come from the opium poppy, a flowering plant which grows in many parts of the world. Pure opioids are strong painkillers legally used in clinical situations to treat acute or chronic pain or illnesses such as cancer. There are strict controls on the legal manufacture, possession and medical use of opioids. Heroin is a ‘street drug’ and a form of opioid, but it is illegal to manufacture, sell or possess heroin in Australia.

What should I know?

When used properly in a medical situation pure, clean opioids do not normally cause harm to the body. Heroin and other opioid drugs are highly addictive. People can become addicted to (dependent on) the drug if it is used for more than a few days.This means the body begins to need the drug to continue working normally. Withdrawal symptoms begin when drug use stops. When the drug wears off, the withdrawal symptoms make the person feel uncomfortable.This can be a difficult time, but withdrawal may only take several days and rarely results in death.
Manufactured ‘street drugs’ like heroin are often mixed with other substances and can cause death. Also, injecting any drugs with needles and syringes which have been used by someone else is dangerous.

Immediate effects of opioids

Depending on the amount, strength and type of drug and the way it is taken, effects may include:
• feelings of well-being or euphoria
• relief of pain
• narrowing of the pupils
• sleepiness
• nausea and vomiting
• shallow breathing
• unconsciousness and death
Effects can last between two and 24 hours.

Health Effects

Illegal use of heroin and other opioid drugs can damage health because of:

The way the drug is taken:

• When people who inject heroin and other opioids share any piece of injection equipment, communicable diseases like HIV and hepatitis can be passed from one person to another.
• Many injections into the one spot can cause collapsed veins.

Addiction and withdrawal:

• When people use heroin and other opioids, they risk becoming addicted to the drug. Once addicted, it can be very
• hard to stop using the drug, and withdrawal can be very
uncomfortable.

Overdose:

• Overdose can occur if a person is inexperienced in using the drug or does not know how much heroin is in the dose they are taking.
• Overdose can cause unconsciousness and even death by slowing or stopping breathing or heart beat.

The ‘street’ lifestyle:

• The need to buy and take heroin sometimes leads to the ‘street’ lifestyle.

Long term use

Health problems associated with heroin use can include:
• damage to lungs, heart, veins, bone tissue, and brain
• loss of sex drive, impotence, infertility and irregular periods
• miscarriage
• tetanus and skin abscesses
• tooth decay
• anxiety attacks and depression

Dangers of Injecting Drugs

HIV / AIDS

People who share injecting equipment have a high chance of getting HIV/AIDS. HIV is passed from person to person in body fluids - mainly blood, semen and vaginal fluids. Injecting drug users can very easily catch HIV if they share needles, syringes, spoons, water, filters or tourniquets.This happens because small amounts of blood are left on the injecting equipment. To avoid HIV, injecting drug users must inject safely using clean equipment.

Safe Injecting

It is important that all injecting equipment is clean.This includes swabs, water and mixing utensils. Equipment can be purchased and exchanged at needle exchanges. Clean equipment can also be purchased from most pharmacies.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver. Like HIV, the hepatitis viruses can be passed on through all forms
of injecting equipment which have been exposed to infected blood or body fluids. Hepatitis can result in tiredness, nausea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite. Anyone who has ever injected drugs has a high chance of being infected with HCV, the Hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C is extremely common among injecting drug users.At least 75 percent of Australians infected with Hepatitis C have a history of injecting drug use. Over 80 percent of people with Hepatitis C become chronically infected and can stay infectious for life. About 25 percent of these people may develop permanent liver damage (cirrhosis) in 10 to 20 years. A small percentage may develop liver cancer.
Liver damage can be slowed by avoiding or reducing alcohol intake.

Safe Disposal

It is not an offence to possess clean injecting equipment. Injecting equipment must be safely exchanged or disposed. Unsafe disposal is illegal. The Drugs Misuse Act and the Health Act require that needles and syringes be disposed of in a “puncture-resistant, rigid walled, sealed container”. People can be jailed for up to two years if they do not safely dispose of injecting equipment.

Other Effects of Illegal Drug Use

Law

Heroin is illegal in Australia. Possessing, manufacturing or selling heroin is against the law. There are heavy fines and prison sentences associated with these activities. Conviction results in a criminal record.This can cause problems in work, travel and personal life

Abilities and motor skills

Heroin is a depressant drug. It slows down the body’s systems.This can affect concentration, balance and coordination.The ability to drive and operate machinery is also affected.When combined with other depressant drugs like alcohol, cannabis or minor tranquillisers, heroin is even more dangerous. It can lead to accidents and can slow the body so much that coma or death can result.

Sexuality

Reduced hormone production is another side effect of most opioids. For men, this can mean lower sex drive and even impotence. For women, it can mean irregular periods and sometimes infertility. Sexual difficulties can lead to prob1ems in relationships.

Relationships

The behaviour of a person using drugs is often difficult to understand. Family and friends find it difficult to help. Legal and financial problems, cheating, lying, fights, anxiety, paranoia, fear and mood swings strain relationships and often cause them to break down.

Work

A person addicted to a drug can find it very difficult to hold down a job. It can seem more important to get drugs than to go to work.The person may be less efficient and reliable in the job. Employers can sack people who use illegal drugs at work or who are convicted on a drug charge. It can be very difficult to find a job if you have a criminal record.

Money

Heroin is expensive. Once addicted to the drug, people need to buy it often. Less money is spent on other things like food, clothing and rent.This can lead to illness and homelessness.

IN EMERGENCIES, contact the casualty department of your local hospital, your local doctor,
or call 000 for an ambulance.

IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY - IT IS IMPORTANTTHATYOU CALL FOR HELP OVERDOSE CAN RESULT IN DEATH. HESITATING IS NOT WORTH THE RISK.