Heroin addiction treatment

Heroin Treatment in Vermont

Heroin, most of which is produced in South America, poses a large threat to Vermont because it is increasingly easy to find, and the level of addiction is high and increasing rapidly. The Burlington Police and Law Enforcement cites heroin as the primary drug threatening Burlington, Vermont's Biggest city. The State of Vermont Drug Task Force, with jurisdiction throughout the state, reports that availability and use of heroin are increasing in the city centers of Brattleboro, Burlington, Montpelier, Newport, Rutland, and St. Johnsbury. The annual figure of treatment admissions for heroin abuse went up 230 percent from FY1996 to FY2000, more dramatically than for any other illicit substance.

 The yearly average of heroin overdose deaths more than tripled from 1998 through 2000. Additionally, from 1999 to 2000 the number of state-wide and domestic heroin-related investigations increased 372 percent, and the number of people arrested for either possession or sale/distribution of heroin increased 147 percent. Wholesale commerce of heroin in the state of Vermont is extremely limited. Caucasian dealers operating independently are the primary retail sellers of heroin in the Vermont.

As a person takes heroin more frequently, their body becomes accustomed to the substance presence. At this point it takes more of the drug to produce the same desired effects. This is what is known and called tolerance. Tolerance is not a function of an illicit substance, however; it is a function of a drug effect. individuals become tolerant to heroin's euphoria much quicker than they do to its respiratory depression. As a result of this, an individual may overdose because they have become very tolerant of the euphoria caused by heroin, but not nearly as tolerant to it respiratory depression.

The most frequent cause of heroin deaths is a bad interaction between heroin and Central Nervous System depressants, in particular with alcohol and barbiturates. Heroin deaths can happen when a drunk individual ingests a relatively small amount of heroin. This appears to have been the cause of Janis Joplin's death, in addition to the deaths of many other addicts who are commonly said to have died of "heroin overdose".

Long Term Effect:  (Other than addiction)
Long-term effects of heroin occur after repeated consumption for some period of time. Chronic users might get collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulites, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including different types of pneumonia, might result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from heroin's depressing effects on respiration.
Additionally to the effects of the substance itself, street heroin might have additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain. This can lead to infection or even fatality of small patches of cells in vital organs.