There are many street names for heroin. Smack, Junk, Black Tar, Mud and Brown Sugar are just a few. This dark brown or tar color substance is negatively impacting and in some cases, ruining the lives of those who become addicted to it. Heroin abuse has been a problem for many years and its’ use is increasing in some states and parts of the country. States like New Jersey and Baltimore have high incidences of Heroin abuse. In other parts of the United States, prescription drugs, marijuana and crystal meth are responsible for the fastest levels of use. However, in many states Heroin abuse still remains a serious problem.

Heroin is a depressant or a downer as some people refer to it. It makes it more difficult for the body, particularly the brain, to perceive or detect pain. The part of the brain that determines pleasure is interfered with as well. The drug is extremely addictive which leads to the high levels of Heroin abuse even amongst those that only desire to try the drug experimentally or recreationally.

Heroin can be taken a number of ways. A person can snort it if it is in powder form. They can also inject it into their muscle or vein. It can be smoked through a pipe (water and regular). Users can quickly fall into Heroin abuse after taking the drug only one time. It doesn’t take a whole lot before someone is hooked. The drug is that powerful.

While an individual may enjoy the short term affects of the drug, the long term effects are very damaging. A person’s veins may become callous. They can develop kidney disease, clogged blood vessels, heart lining and valve infection, cell death or infection and a host of other ailments. The long term prognosis does not look good but instead suggests that persons that struggle with this disease get help as soon as possible.

Long term Heroin abuse also develops dependency and tolerance. Subsequently, they will also need greater amounts of the drug to get high. Once a person becomes physically dependent on the drug, they will begin to have withdrawal symptoms as soon as the levels of heroin in their bodies get low. These physical symptoms will drive users to get more drugs. This makes it very difficult to stay employed because a person will have to continuously stay high as not to get sick or will always be on a the look out for more drugs. Individuals might also turn to illegal activities to support their habit. Prostitution, theft and dealing are three common ways that those who trapped in Heroin abuse finance their drug use.

Crystal meth addiction is extremely frightening. The speed in which a person deteriorates both physically and mentally is very disturbing. Local health and state officials as well as law enforcement have circled the wagons in an attempt to make it harder for individuals to “cook” or create meth. Meth is primarily made in labs by “cooks”. It is inexpensive to make and fairly simple, though very dangerous. In the beginning there were many accidents where cooks and those in the lab where seriously injured due to explosions and chemical spills. An important ingredient in crystal meth is cough syrup. Local government officials made it illegal for persons to purchase more then 2 bottles at a time, in an effort to curb meth use.

This made it harder for homemade cooks to access the materials that they needed, though not impossible. It was fairly easy for individuals to go to a variety of stores and purchase the 2 bottle maximum of cough syrup. If a person had a team of people working with them, it was possible to get a decent amount of it. However, it did make things harder because getting the medicine in bulk was no longer possible for the most part.

Partly because of this, homemade meth creation in the United States has slowed some. However, the Mexican production of the drug has increased to meet the growing demand in the States. Today, it is being smuggled to the U.S. in large quantities and in some places taking over the market. The drug isn’t as pure as what it created here and so many addicts are going back to making it themselves, just in smaller batches.

A Crystal meth addiction can seemingly ruin someone’s life in a matter of months. A person can go from being fully functional to not being able to take care of themselves or their family.

The physical transformation is both frightening and sad. A person may lose their teeth, develop lesions on their skin and lose a lot of weight There is mental deterioration as well. This is true of most people that are addicted to drugs. Individuals begin to no longer care about themselves or the things that they once did, even their children. Crystal meth addicts who are parents may begin to neglect their children, forget or refuse to feed them and no longer require that they go to school. The drug begins to totally control them and they lose all sense of reality.

The good news is that a Crystal meth addiction does not have to totally ruin someone’s life. There is help available, very good drug rehab facilities and counselors that are equipped to help people successfully fight addictions. The first step for someone with a Crystal meth addiction is to admit that there is a problem. They then need to reach out for help. An addict’s family, friends are a good place to begin. Eventually, they may need to check themselves into a very good drug rehab center.