According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2012 about 669,000 Americans reported using heroin in the past year, a number that has been on the rise since 2007. More recent statistics have not been made available yet, however with heroin’s growing availability in suburbs one can expect that number to rise significantly in recent years. More often than not, heroin users aren’t openly honest about the substances that they are using. They may try to hide their addiction from friends, family, employers, and the like. There are some significant signs and symptoms of heroin use that should be able to make clear if your child is using heroin.
Heroin is an opiate that can be smoked, nasally inhaled, or IV injected. The most immediate sign of someone who is actively using heroin is slowed, raspy speech, sometimes accompanied by occasionally “nodding out” or quickly dozing to sleep, often in upright positions. If your child is using heroin, he or she may also exhibit unexplained periods of euphoria, followed by severe fatigue after the high runs out. Weight loss, wearing long sleeve clothing to hide IV injection sites, and declining performance at work or school are other telltale signs of heroin use.
Another way to judge is your child is using heroin is to pay close attention to what may be occurring during withdrawals. Heroin withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, muscle aches, sweating, and flu-like symptoms. Your child may exhibit what seems to be a head cold due. Additionally, the easiest way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms is to use heroin again, so keep an eye out for missing belongings or your child trying to earn money in unusual ways.
Heroin use is deadly. In 2015 alone there were 12,990 heroin overdose deaths reported nationwide. If your child is using heroin, please call Huntington Creek Recovery Center at 866-201-8677 and one of our intake specialist would be happy to help you!
