Growing up, most people learn in school, from their parents or in other ways that drugs can negatively affect them. At a young age, you may have believed that you would never have reason to even be around such substances, let alone use them. Of course, as time goes by, life and expectations change, and your younger self may not have correctly predicted your future.
You may have first come in contact with heroin in one of numerous ways. No matter how it happened, you may have found yourself addicted from the start. Suddenly, you no longer had control of your life, and this substance began dictating your every decision. Not only did you find yourself carrying out questionable actions, you likely also began experiencing negative health impacts after prolonged use.
Short-term impacts
Though you may initially experience a high feeling when using heroin, that feeling may not be worth the impacts the drug also has on your body. Even after using the substance for a short time, you could experience the following negative impacts:
- Drifting in and out of consciousness
- Itching
- Dry mouth
- Vomiting
- Impaired mental abilities
- Feeling of heaviness in your extremities
While these issues may not seem severe, they can greatly impact your life and put you at risk of even more serious issues.
Long-term impacts
After prolonged use of heroin, you may notice a substantial change in your body and mind. For example, some effects you may develop include:
- Vein collapse from injections
- Tissue damage from snorting
- Sexual dysfunction
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Pneumonia
- Depression
- Heart-related infections
Unfortunately, you may not know the exact impact the drug is having on your body, but you may realize something is wrong. However, you may have reached a point at which obtaining your next fix overshadows your desire to seek medical help.
Legal impacts
Heroin use and addiction can also alter your brain in such a way that you no longer act like yourself. As mentioned, the need for another hit could put all other important aspects of life out of your mind, and you may only focus on trying to get your next high. As a result, you may wind up facing a serious legal predicament if your actions attract the attention of police.
If authorities believe that you are in possession of heroin, you could face serious criminal charges. In such a situation, it may benefit you to obtain reliable information regarding your defense options. Because such circumstances can prove difficult to address, you may wish to consider obtaining assistance from a legal professional.