Heroin Use Pictures

Viewing heroin use pictures can really drive home the fact that this drug is incredibly addictive. Many people become hooked after a single use, and they soon need more and more of the drug to achieve the same high. It's a downward spiral that all too often results in death if a user isn't able to kick the habit. Learn more about the effects of heroin, how it's used and what it can do to a person's life.

Heroin can be heated on a simple piece of tin foil with the aid of a lighter or candle. This causes the drug to smoke, and inhaling the fumes makes the user high. Some users choose to simply snort the drup up their nostrils. Heroin can also be heated to a liquid state and injected to give the user a faster rush.

Here's an example of heroin being prepared for an injection.

An addict will use whatever's available for a tourniquet to raise a vein for injection. Long term users develop distinct raised needle marks on their arms and other areas of their body from repeated injections. These are commonly known as "tracks" and they trail along the length of a vein.

A powerful painkiller, heroin also relieves a user's emotional pain. This creates a temporary state of euphoria, but it leaves the addict feeling worse and craving more once that euphoria fades.

As the addiction increases, life spins out of control. An addict may go broke trying to pay for more heroin, and often winds up sick, homeless or worse. At this stage, nothing matters to the user except scoring the next hit.

Needles are often shared with other addicts or discarded and picked up by other users. The risk of contracting HIV from intravenous drug use is dangerously high.

In powdered form, it's difficult to tell whether the heroin is pure or cut with another substance like cornstarch. This means a user may accidentally take more of the pure drug than he bargained for, and this can lead to an overdose and death. If you or someone you know is addicted to heroin, please seek help before it's too late.

Heroin addiction can strike anyone. Check out some famous heroin addicts...