Powder Heroin

Heroin In Powder Form

Street heroin is almost never pure. It may be a white powder or dark brown. The consistency can vary widely as there may be many impurities depending on the manufacturing process. Sugars, starches, powdered milk, and even other types of drugs may be added as filler. The unpredictable strength of the drug further complicates matters on top of the person’s addiction to it.

Many heroin overdoses are accidental. Some people switch from a prescription opioid-based medication to a drug, for various reasons. The problem is these medications are supplied in known dosages and compositions, and heroin isn’t. Even if heroin may be easier to obtain, the purity can vary regardless of the source. There’s little or no regulation of dosage, so people often don’t know how much drug they are taking.

Impurities may be introduced to increase potency or cut production costs. In 2009, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported Afghanistan had identified several chemicals used for cutting heroin. Substances included caffeine and other compounds, such as phenolphthalein, chloroquine, and paracetamol. Caffeine makes heroin vaporize when exposed to lower temperatures, while chloroquine, a drug used to fight malaria, is widely available and low in price, but does not change the properties or use of the drug. Some believe the additive may be sold as fake heroin in Southwest Asia.

Cutting agents used include:

• Phenolphthalein: This substance has been used as a laxative, acid, or base indicator, and is a known carcinogenic, but its reasons for cutting heroin are not fully known.
• Paracetamol: An over-the-counter painkiller, it has a bitter taste and a mild analgesic effect. It might be used to disguise poor-quality heroin and is commonly used in many countries.
• Fentanyl: This narcotic pain medication is used as a cutting agent or sold as heroin. It is as much as 100 times more potent than morphine, which is why the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee approved bill H.R. 3713 in 2016 to increase the penalty of trafficking heroin cut with this drug by up to five years. This drug has been the reason for many drug-related deaths in the US.
• Tylenol PM: Cutting black tar heroin with these tablets is more practical because of the cooking process used for creating what’s known as cheese heroin. Other medications with diphenhydramine and acetaminophen may be used as well.

Flour, chalk, talcum powder, starch, and more dangerous agents, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, alprazolam, ecstasy, and crack cocaine, may also be used. The purity of street heroin, therefore, can vary greatly, anywhere from 3-99 percent, based on statistics from Johns Hopkins University. One can easily see why the risk of overdose is so high.

What Does Powder Heroin Look Like?

White Powder Heroin

What Does Heroin Powder Smell Like

Heroin generally smells like vinegar because this smell is a result of the chemical processes that are used to make the drug. The smell is a result of the final steps of the synthesis process, and while vinegar is a smell often associated with heroin, it doesn’t always have a strong smell of vinegar. The better heroin is washed at the end of synthesis or the purer it is, the less likely it is to have a strong vinegar odor.

Black tar heroin is cheaper and less pure than other forms of heroin. The reason it’s dark in color is that the processing it goes through leaves impurities that are both chemical and bacterial. The solid form of heroin isn’t as strong as pure heroin, so this form of the drug is often mixed with acid and other additives to increase the high the person achieves. Ultimately, it’s these additives and other chemicals that contribute to why heroin smells like vinegar. With that being said, black tar heroin will have a much stronger smell of vinegar than any of the other types of the drug.

Signs of Heroin Abuse

Heroin enters the brain rapidly and binds to opioid receptors on cells located in many areas, especially those involved in feelings of pain and pleasure and in controlling heart rate, sleeping, and breathing. 

Short-term effects:  

People report feeling a “rush” (a surge of pleasure, or euphoria), when abusing Heroin. Nevertheless there are other short-term symptoms of heroin addiction, this can include: 

• Dry mouth
• Warm flushing of the skin
• Heavy feeling in the arms and legs
• Nausea and vomiting
• Severe itching
• Clouded mental functioning
• Going “on the nod,” a back-and-forth state of being conscious and semiconscious. 

Long-term effects:

People who consume heroin may develop the following conditions over time, be careful of these signs:

• Insomnia
• Collapsed veins for people who inject the drug
• Damaged tissue inside the nose for people who sniff or snort it
• Infection of the heart lining and valves
• Abscesses (swollen tissue filled with pus)
• Constipation and stomach cramping
• Liver and kidney disease
• Lung complications, including pneumonia
• Mental disorders such as depression and antisocial personality disorder
• Sexual dysfunction for men
• Irregular menstrual cycles for women

Heroin often contains additives, such as sugar, starch, or powdered milk, that can clog blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain, causing permanent damage. Also, sharing drug injection equipment and having impaired judgment from drug use can increase the risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.

Heroin Addiction Treatment Center

Counseling therapy helps manage cravings and develop healthier coping mechanisms to handle life stresses without the use of heroin. With so many counseling therapies available, there is not one exact method that is more beneficial than others. Likewise, a single approach does not apply to every person, which is why it is crucial to create a customized treatment plan to address each individual’s unique requirements.

Individual, Group, and Family Counselling Therapy

Counseling is available at individual, group, and family levels. Individual counseling is a one-on-one form of therapy that focuses on stopping heroin use, committing to a treatment plan, education, and skill-building. Group counseling complements individual counseling by offering social support from peers who are going through a similar experience while family counseling is ideal for educating all members of the family and overcoming issues that stem from addiction.

Types of Counseling that are Beneficial for Heroin Addiction

Counselors provide numerous services to people in heroin addiction treatment such as evaluation, treatment planning, and counseling, along with therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), contingency management, 12 Step programs, and Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for addiction

CBT helps those in recovery learn to recognize and stop negative behaviors and thinking patterns. It can help a person become aware of the situations, stressors, and feelings that lead to heroin use so that they can develop a different response or avoid them entirely. Additionally, CBT teaches essential coping skills that can be used in many situations.

Contingency Management

This form of therapy reinforces positive behaviors, such as staying sober, by using incentives. It is a method that involves the use of vouchers, which allow the person to collect points for different situations, like showing up clean on a drug test. These points can then be used to acquire items that encourage healthy living.

12 Step Programs

12 Step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) involve peer support groups that help by offering support and guidance. Unlike group therapy, a trained psychologist does not lead 12 Step programs.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)

MET increases motivation and encourages recovering addicts to commit to their plan to be actively involved in treatment and recovery. MET is generally used during the early stages of treatment to get people involved in treatment.

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