Heroin is a powerful and deadly drug with the potential to alter everything in your life dramatically. The illicit drug can change you emotionally and mentally, and then there are the physical effects of heroin addiction. Heroin use and abuse will severely limit the functions of your brain. While the short-term effects can be tragic, there are many long-term effects of heroin addiction that could forever alter, or end, your life. If you or someone you love is struggling with heroin use and wants to begin down the path toward recovery, contact Midwest Recovery online or call us at 833.627.0039 today to learn about how our heroin addiction treatment can help.
The Effects of Heroin Addiction
Heroin is an opiate that binds to the brain’s opioid receptors when it’s taken. This process creates a rush of dopamine that is intoxicating and addictive because it is more significant than you can receive naturally. The tidal wave of dopamine creates a euphoric high a user feels after taking heroin and immediately craves more of it. This is because the brain swiftly desires to replicate the feelings of pleasure heroin provides. The result of this is an addiction, as you will have the insatiable urge to use heroin again and again. The process of overcoming heroin’s physical and mental addiction is long and difficult, but with professional help from Midwest Recovery, it is possible.
Over time, your body will develop a tolerance to heroin. This means that, among the other effects of heroin addiction, your brain has been rewired to feel normal only when heroin is present inside your system. The physical effects of heroin addiction begin once your body has adjusted to the heroin use and the intense dopamine hits that come from it. In these moments, you will not even feel a high after taking heroin. In response, you will likely increase the dosage of heroin you take to feel anything even remotely as pleasurable as you once experienced. Overdose and severe damage to your brain are the likely next outcomes, making the physical effects of heroin addiction as severe as any drug available today.
The physical effects of heroin addiction ultimately bring about dramatic changes to your brain’s structure and physiological makeup. And although heroin recovery is possible with the assistance of a heroin addiction treatment program like the one offered at Midwest Recovery, the impacts on your brain are difficult to reverse. Additionally, a heroin physical and mental addiction can cause a decline in the white matter of your brain, causing problems with:
- Cognition
- Memory
- Decision-making
Can Heroin Cause Severe Brain Damage?
Over time, heroin use will rewire your brain’s reward system, causing you to crave more of the drug as you spiral down into a hole of abuse, pain, and addiction. The physical effects of heroin addiction include a dramatic and dangerous impact on your breathing patterns. This is due to the brain’s opioid receptors being connected with breathing. As you continue using large amounts of heroin, the drug will cause breathing to become more shallow and irregular as you receive less oxygen to your brain. Without enough oxygen, your brain cannot function properly. The domino effect of heroin addiction is that your body’s other systems begin to fail as well, causing organ damage throughout your body. You must seek help as soon as possible to prevent brain damage and other deadly effects of heroin addiction.
Learn More at Midwest Recovery
If you fear that you or a loved one is suffering from heroin abuse, contact us online or call 833.627.0039 today to learn how our heroin addiction treatment program can help right the ship and point you toward recovery.
