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Danny Trejo has been sober for over 50 years, a staggering length of time in a person’s recovery journey. The famed actor—known for a plethora of hit movies and TV shows including Machete, Con Air, Desperado, Spy Kids, Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, and more—is the most recent guest of American Addiction Centers’ (AAC) Addiction […]

It would be so much easier if life was black and white. Good and bad. Hot and cold. Clear and vivid sides. However, there is so much gray area in the middle that it bleeds into the opposing sides, blurring the bridge between perceptions of right and wrong choices. Helping an individual addicted to drugs […]

Heroin, a powerful opioid similar to morphine, has a long history in the U.S., and is currently a Schedule I drug on the nation’s list of controlled substances. This means that it is completely illegal, and there are no medical uses for it. There is a very long list of slang terms for heroin and […]

What Is Heroin? A Brief Overview of Heroin Heroin is an opioid made from morphine, an opiate alkaloid extracted from the opium poppy.2 Heroin is a Schedule I controlled substance, which means that it has a high risk for abuse and is not approved for medical use.3 The adverse effects of heroin use can pose […]

Heroin is an illegal opioid, classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the U.S. due to its addictive quality, damaging nature, and the fact that it has no approved medical use in the country. It’s typically smoked, snorted or injected for a fast, euphoric high, followed by sensations of contentment, relaxation, and sleepiness. Heroin […]

What is a Heroin Overdose? One of the most dangerous risks of using opioid drugs, including heroin, is overdose. If someone consumes high enough doses of heroin, the effects of the drug can overwhelm a person’s system, resulting in opioid toxicity.2 Because heroin and other opioids impact areas of the brain important in regulating respiratory […]

Dangers of Smoking Opioids Smoking opioids is a popular method of opioid use because it causes the drug to take effect almost immediately; it also does not have the stigma of “shooting” (injecting). Although smoking opioids is less risky than injecting opioids in terms of disease transmission and soft tissue infections, both injecting and smoking […]

From Heroin to Suboxone? Suboxone can deliver relief from heroin cravings, and that can make addiction recovery possible, but the medication should only be used in accordance with a comprehensive treatment program. Clinicians can determine an appropriate Suboxone dose, and they can pair the use of the medication with therapy, allowing people to build up […]

What is Heroin Withdrawal? Heroin and other opioids are highly addictive substances that can lead to physiologic changes in the brain and alterations in behavior.5 Heroin binds to the body’s opioid receptors in the brain and central nervous system, activating certain cells (neurons) because their chemical structure mimics the body’s natural opioids (e.g., endorphins).6 However, […]

What is Heroin? Heroin is a highly addictive opioid drug, whose effects include euphoria, drowsiness, and mental clouding, among others.2,3 Illicitly manufactured from morphine, a natural opiate alkaloid derived from the opium poppy plant, heroin is associated with physiological dependence and addiction development.4 The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that […]