Heroin

Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious problem in America. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction.

What to Look for:

Dry mouth
Droopy appearance, as if extremities are "heavy"
Alternately wakeful and drowsy
Disorientation, poor mental functioning
Signs of injection; infections
Shallow breathing

Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Slang: Alquitran, anti-freeze, Aries, beast, Big H, brown sugar, china white, brown, crap, dirt, DOA, dope, Dr. Feelgood, gallup, gato, girl, gold, goodhorse, H, hard, heaven, Henry, Harry, shoot-up, skag, spoon, smack, shoot, tigre de blanco, quill, mayo, karachi, wings, witch.

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