You are at the right place if you need to learn about what some of the signs of heroin use may be. As a former heroin addict I can only tell you I know all the signs of a person who is on heroin. There are a couple different ways that heroin is ingested into the system with the two most popular ways being injecting with a hypodermic needle and sniffing the powder. The most obvious sign of heroin use would be track marks. These are definitely unmistakable. A person who has been using for some time will have scaring along their veins along with fresh needle marks called track marks.However, there are many other signs which this article will cover as well so you will be well educated as to what to look for..
Heroin addicts will usually try to cover any track marks up by wearing long sleeves or band aids.The most common area is on the arms and hands, some may use their legs, feet, in between toes, and neck. As a painter I would get paint over top of them so they could not be seen so easy. There is also two ways of injecting heroin as well. The one just covered is called mainlining which is injecting the drug into a vein. Some addicts that have trouble hitting veins will resort to skin popping which is just placing the needle under the surface of the skin and injecting just about anywhere. This will cause bruising and there is usually a small hole where the addict placed the hypodermic syringe into the skin. In addition both ways of injecting can cause abscesses which are infections on the surface of the skin going below the surface as well that are easy to spot. Abscesses from injecting heroin can be dangerous if not taken care of. Paraphernalia that you may want to look out for would be hypodermic needles, hypodermic needle caps (usually orange), spoons with residue or small piece of cotton in them, caps with residue or small piece of cotton in them, rope or balloon like material used to tie off and make any veins pop out for easy hitting with a syringe, water bottles for water.So really if you see a few caps or spoons in the same area as water bottles with something to tie off with, this may be paraphernalia if they are in a hidden spot and grouped together. Bent spoons are a sign as well since the spoon when placed on a surface is not level the addict will bend the spoon to make it level. Addicts can be very ingenious to protect and support their addiction so you must pay close attention for these types of signs.
As for the heroin addict that sniffs the drug there obviously will not be any track marks or paraphernalia used for injecting so their are other signs you must look out for. Cut straws, rolled dollar bills or any mirrors, magazines or flat surface that has powder smudges on it from the addict placing the heroin onto it to scrape into a pile for sniffing could be paraphernalia you may want to be on the look out for. As an addict I would have my paraphernalia kit usually in some sort of container whether it would be rolled up in a small hand towel or some sort of small box or just about any small container that I could easily stuff away and travel with ready for use at any time. The majority of those that sniff heroin will at some point try injecting heroin because as good as they feel when sniffing it they will usually find out that injecting it is even more powerful with extra feelings of euphoria. When copping the drug usually there are a group of people that go to cop together and eventually there will be someone in the crowd that injects the drug that is willing to show those that sniff how to inject for a better high. What usually happens next is the addict will experience this inflated high and wonder why they ever sniffed it in the first place. Plus a smaller amount is needed to reach the plateau they are looking for - at least in the beginning until their tolerance builds up.
Aside from paraphernalia there are many other signs of heroin use to look out for which I am about to cover. When an addict uses heroin there is an initial rush of euphoria they are looking for and then there is a very comforting mellow good feeling that continues after the initial rush. This mellow feeling is accompanied by feeling sleepy or what is referred to as nodding. This is what the addict using heroin is really looking for. All problems and worries at this stage of heroin use dissipates and the addict feels extremely good inside as if the world is perfect and all is well. I at one point was arrested for shoplifting and sitting in a jail cell at the police station. At the time I was very high and had this overwhelming feeling that felt so good and that everything around me was ok despite sitting in this jail cell. It is for this reason heroin addicts have a hard time quitting heroin or returning to it after periods of being clean. Of course their is the physical addiction as well the addict is terrified of going through if they quit using the drug but the mental part of it is just as strong as the physical part of the addiction.
When the addict reaches that plateau they begin to nodded in and out of consciousness and can have slurred speech as well.It is hard to tell whether or not the person is tired or high. The way to really tell is if the person does this all the time at weird times to actually be tired. So say it is the end of a work day and they are in a car on the way home from work and they begin to nod out it just may be they are tired and not high on heroin. But if it is 2pm and they have not worked and they are nodding out again after you have seen them do this three days in a row especially if they go out and come back and you have no way of knowing what they did while they were gone except that they are now nodding after coming back, that would be a good sign. Also when a person uses heroin their pupils will be pinned and very tiny even if it is in a dark room. Some people are easier to tell than others. I know when I would use my eyes would be pinned but I have small pupils to begin with and it was hard to tell, yet others it is extremely blatant. When an addict does heroin in the first hour of using it they become very talkative so if you have a very alert person who is extremely talkative then all of a sudden is nodding in and out of consciousness with slurred speech then it is quite possible they have been using heroin. Another tell tale sign is they become itchy and scratch all over the place especially the face area and mainly the nose. Once an addict has been using for quite some time they usually have to use a large amount of heroin to become itchy and scratch.
There are some mannerisms and routines a heroin addict will usually abide to as well that will contribute to recognizing some of the signs of heroin use. As a heroin addict they must maintain their habit or become sick. The sickness from not having heroin when you are addicted to it is extremely uncomfortable, painful, and down right unbearable. Once an addict is sick they literally cannot control the urge to use and will usually at any cost find a way to get the drug no matter who they hurt in the process. It is at this point the addict is truly under the spell of heroin. What you are witnessing is the devil in total control literally. It is sad some of the decisions addicts make when under the grip of the sickness caused by this drug. Many addicts go to jail for the actions they take just to get the sickness to go away. This is also the most vulnerable time for an addict and usually the time to intervene, if you plan on that, and get them to a detox for help. they are desperate and yet so helpless and hopeless. Once in detox they will receive medication to help with the withdrawals. An addict must get the drug every day so they will disappear every day to cop dope. So if the person you know disappears every day with an excuse as to where or why they need to go somewhere it is quite possible they are off to go get their dope. That coupled with nodding out when they got back would be a sure sign. Another sign would be if they were sick they will seem very off, like tired, sniffling, agitated (restless leg syndrome), sweaty, and a blank stare like dazed look, complaining they don't feel good or are weak or have the chills. Again this coupled with going out somewhere and coming back all of a sudden feeling better all talkative and then nodding out would be a sure sign of heroin use. Do not let your denial that the person would be actually using cloud what you may think they are doing. Pay close attention to the person and I guarantee you the signs will present themselves. You must never enable or help that person get their heroin because you will just be helping them to their grave. there are no addicts that I used with from years ago that are alive today. Every one of them has passed away at least 15 of them. I only know one that is clean today - well two if you include me. Please cut that person off immediately. get them out of our house and do not give them a dime, gas money or help of any kind. Everything and anything can be converted to fueling their addiction. Once they have nothing and they are sick it is then you can help them and you should help them get help. Start making phone calls o detoxes, rehabs, and professionals who know what is going on. You cannot handle this person on your own that is a guarantee. And trust me they need help professionally. Sad but very true you may go through this for quite some time before the person actually gets clean or seeks help. They may use again afterwords and probably will. All you can do is cut them off, let them know you love them and be willing to help them to go get help. You may be mad at this person for doing what they are doing and it is them doing it but reality is the drug is making them do what they are doing and their addiction. Addiction really is a disease and the person really does need help but they wont do that unless they are broken down and hitting bottom. Anything you do for them will keep them from hitting bottom so you must not do that. If you say help them with their rent 200 dollars, guess what that's 200 dollars they will use towards purchasing heroin. Below I will make a quick reference list of signs of heroin use.
Signs Of Heroin Use
Paraphernalia
- Hypodermic Syringe
- Spoons Or Caps With Residue Or Small Cotton In It
- Bent Spoons
- Tie Offs - String or Balloon Like Rubber Material
- Razors Or Rolled Bills, Cut Straws, Mirrors With Smudges
- Nodding In And Out Of Consciousness
- Pinned Pupils
- Talkative Then Nodding
- Borrowing Money all the Time
- Disappearing with Excuses Everyday Then Returning Nodding
- Wearing Long Sleeves Even On Hot Days - Hiding Track Marks
- Withdrawals - Sniffling, Sneezing, Weak, Chills, Feel Cold - Goes Out and Comes Back Miraculously Feeling Better
- Itchy - Scratching Especially The Face and Mostly The Nose - Usually Will Be Nodding as Well