Heroin Treatment Program for Women at Balboa Horizons

Heroin Treatment Program for Women at Balboa Horizons
Heroin addiction is a rapidly growing problem among women of all ages. Whether she is the successful career woman looking to manage stress, the young adult looking for a good time or the working mother looking to relieve anxiety, many report being drawn to this potent opiate for its euphoric effects. However, no matter what life situation brought a woman into heroin use, the result is the same-a devastating physical and mental addiction that is highly dangerous and potentially fatal. Common side effects include shallow breathing, lowered heart rate, nausea, itching, constipation, urinary retention, pupil dilation and dry mouth. More serious common occurrences include respiratory arrest, seizure, coma and death.

Heroin is the most potent drug in the opiate family. Almost identical to morphine in chemical structure, the differentiating factor is the addition of an extra acetyl molecule that allows heroin to cross the brain-blood barrier immediately. This eradicates the time-release characteristic of most prescription opiates and causes an intense rush of euphoria exclusive to heroin. The drug may be smoked, snorted, taken orally or injected intravenously. Users prefer the latter method as it increases the rush of euphoria, greatly raising the risk of overdose. Opiate overdose is second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.