Marijuana

Club Drugs

Heroin

Prescription Drug Abuse

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From the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

An Opiate

Heroin is an illegal opiate drug. It is highly addictive as users find that they have a need for persistent, repeated use of the drug (known as craving) and that their attempts to stop using the drug lead to significant and painful physical withdrawal symptoms. Use of heroin causes physical and psychological problems such as shallow breathing, nausea, panic, insomnia, and a need for increasingly higher doses of the drug to get the same effect.

Highly Addictive

Heroin is so addictive because it activates many regions of the brain particularly the regions that are responsible for producing both the pleasurable sensation of "reward" and physical dependence. Together, these actions account for the user's loss of control and the drug's habit-forming action.