There is no question that heroin addiction destroys families, ends lives, and takes a toll on everyone who is addicted, as well their friends and families. If you are worried about yourself or someone you love who is stuck in the cycle of addiction, there is help available.
TruHealing Centers provides comprehensive addiction treatment options, including our heroin detox center. If you are battling a heroin addiction, reach out to our team for help. However, if you are a friend or family member of someone who may be addicted to heroin, it is crucial that you can recognize some of the most common heroin addiction symptoms. Once you see the signs in a loved one, contact our team right away.
5 Common Heroin Addiction Symptoms
1. Physical Symptoms
The physical symptoms of heroin use occur quickly after injection. However, if these signs are chronic, daily, constant, you may be looking at heroin addiction.
Typical symptoms of heroin abuse include:
- Dry mouth
- Flushed skin
- Constricted pupils
- Falling asleep suddenly
- Slowed breathing
- Itching
- Nausea or vomiting
2. Medical Complications
A powerful opiate that comes with the risk of serious health complications, heroin puts lives in danger. Some of the major medical issues that result from heroin addiction include:
- Organ damage
- Kidney, heart, and liver disease
- Compromised immune system
- Auto-immune responses, including arthritis
- Blood clots
- Heart attack
- Strokes
3. Visible Evidence
It may seem obvious that you would notice if someone you love has visible evidence of heroin addiction, but we often miss what may seem obvious in retrospect.
Common examples of visible evidence are:
- Needle tracks
- Long sleeves in all weather
- Pinpoint pupils
- Missing items, such as lighters, belts, spoons, or pieces of aluminum foil
- Obvious paraphernalia, such as syringes, glass pipes, or rubber tubing
4. Financial Issues
Even if the person you’re worried about is still making it to work each day, has there been an inexplicable change in financial status? Are they not paying bills on time, borrowing money from you or others, running out of funds even though there is no food in the house or gas in the car? Someone who is addicted to heroin will prioritize acquiring the drug over everything else, and large amounts of money missing is often a sign of heroin addiction.
5. Complete Change in Values
People often say about their loved ones who are in the grip of an addiction: “I don’t recognize him anymore” or “She’s not the same person she was when I met her.” If you realize that your loved one has given up on the things they once valued, this is an example of how lives are shattered by addiction. Loss of self in the service of addiction is a tragedy nearly as profound as loss of life.
Some value changes might be:
- Giving up on relationships that once mattered, including spouse and children
- No longer caring about a previously important career
- Living in squalor or chaos when cleanliness and comfort were once-held values
- Neglect of a beloved pet or giving it up for adoption
- Abandonment of the daily responsibilities
- Complete cessation of hobbies
Treat Heroin Addiction Effectively and Safely at TruHealing Centers
If you recognize any of the heroin addiction symptoms above in a loved one or yourself, please don’t wait to take action. Help is available right now at TruHealing Centers, but the first step is up to you.
A professional and evidence-based heroin rehab program is the best and safest way to begin addiction treatment and start a life of recovery. To learn more about how TruHealing Centers can help, call us at [Direct] or complete our online form today. Let us guide you or your loved one from dependence to independence at one of our addiction recovery centers.