Heroin Addiction | Signs, Symptoms and Effects
In the UK, heroin is a Class A drug, carrying the harshest penalties for possession or supply under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Despite its illegal status, heroin continues to circulate widely, often mixed with other substances that increase its danger and unpredictability.
What is heroin?
Heroin is made from morphine, a substance extracted from the opium poppy plant. Once processed, it becomes a fine white or brown powder or, in some cases, a sticky dark substance known as black tar.
Heroin is usually injected, smoked or snorted, and whichever route is taken, it delivers an intense sense of calm and euphoria. This effect is short-lived but deeply reinforcing, which is what makes the drug so difficult to walk away from once use begins.
Heroin addiction does not need to control your life. Reach out for us today to find out how you can take your life back from Heroin.
Is heroin addictive?
Beyond biology, heroin addiction also has powerful psychological roots. Many start using heroin to numb emotional pain or trauma, and the relief it provides can feel like a coping mechanism rather than a danger. That illusion, however, is what traps people most effectively, because the more it’s used to “cope,” the harder it becomes to function without it. Taking heroin regularly can cause;
- Aching muscles
- Chills
- Sweating
- Restlessness
- Agitation
These are known as heroin withdrawal symptoms, though temporary, can be so severe that using again feels like the only relief.
Heroin use in the UK
In the UK, heroin remains one of the most destructive drugs affecting public health. Around 138,000 adults were in treatment for opiate dependence in 2022–23, the vast majority for heroin. To put that into perspective, this figure represents nearly half of all people receiving help for any substance use. No other drug comes close to that proportion, showing how heroin continues to dominate treatment services even after decades of awareness campaigns.
The problem doesn’t stop at treatment figures, either, as in 2023, 46.8% of all drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales involved heroin. That equates to more than 2,500 deaths in a single year. These bleak figures paint a worrying picture of a country still deeply entangled with heroin use, despite years of harm reduction strategies and recovery initiatives.
Financially, the burden is enormous, with reviews suggesting that heroin and other addictive drugs together cost England around £20 billion each year. Of course, the budget spent dealing with the country’s heroin issue then directly drains public resources that could be used for policing and other healthcare services. What these statistics reveal is that heroin’s impact stretches far beyond the person using; it affects entire national systems built to protect them.
The scale of this issue makes recognising the signs of heroin addiction crucial, because every life reclaimed starts with realising when use has crossed the line into dependency.
What are the signs of heroin addiction?
Recognising the signs of heroin addiction can be difficult, especially as many users go to great lengths to hide their habit. However, the physical, psychological and behavioural signs can become increasingly visible over time, even when someone insists they have things under control.
- Needle marks or scarring on arms, legs or other areas used for injecting
- Constricted (pinpoint) pupils that remain small even in low light
- Sudden weight loss and a frail appearance
- Drowsiness or “nodding off” during the day
- Ongoing constipation or stomach problems
- Frequent respiratory infections or chronic coughs
- Intense cravings and irritability when heroin isn’t available
- Mood swings that shift from calm to anger or despair
- Increasing anxiety or depression linked with drug use
- Loss of interest in goals, hobbies or relationships
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
- Lying or hiding paraphernalia such as spoons, foil or syringes
- Neglecting work, study or personal hygiene
- Stealing or borrowing money to fund heroin use
- Withdrawing from family or non-using friends
- Spending large amounts of time obtaining or recovering from heroin
If you answered yes to one or more of these, that may be your signal to seek help. It doesn’t confirm a diagnosis, but it does show that heroin is exerting more control than you may realise.
Am I addicted to heroin?
Coming to terms with the possibility of a drug addiction is never easy. Heroin can cloud judgment, making it hard to see how deeply it has integrated into your life. Asking yourself the following questions can help bring some clarity:
- Do you crave heroin or think about it even when you’ve promised yourself to stop?
- Have you missed work, school or family responsibilities because of heroin?
- Are you spending money on heroin that should go toward essentials?
- Have your relationships suffered because of your use?
- Have you tried to quit but found yourself returning to it quickly?
- Do you spend much of your time getting, using or recovering from heroin?
If you answered yes to one or more of these, that may be your signal to seek help. It doesn’t confirm a diagnosis but it does show that heroin is exerting more control than you may realise
The DAST-10 questionnaire is designed to identify potential drug dependencies.
Where can I get help for heroin?
Recovery from heroin addiction is possible. Drug rehab at Recovery Lighthouse provides a safe and structured environment for people to step away from heroin and rebuild their lives. The heroin treatment process often begins with detox from the drug, where the body clears itself of the drug under professional care to ease withdrawal safely and comfortably.
From there, therapy helps you understand what led to addiction in the first place, whether it’s trauma, stress or emotional pain and builds new strategies for coping without turning back to heroin. Once rehab treatment ends, aftercare continues to support you through relapse prevention and community connections, helping you stay steady after leaving the programme.
Taking that first step may feel daunting but it can also be the moment everything begins to change. Reach out to Recovery Lighthouse today to learn how our heroin recovery programmes can help you or someone close to you move toward a life free from addiction.
Heroin addiction does not need to control your life. Reach out for us today to find out how you can take your life back from heroin.
Frequently asked questions
(Click here to see works cited)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “What Are the Immediate (Short-Term) Effects of Heroin Use?” National Institute on Drug Abuse, July 2011, nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-immediate-short-term-effects-heroin-use
- Kosten, Thomas and Tony George. “The Neurobiology of Opioid Dependence: Implications for Treatment.” Science & Practice Perspectives, vol. 1, no. 1, July 2002, pp. 13–20, https://doi.org/10.1151/spp021113
- Shah, Mansi and Martin R. Huecker. “Opioid Withdrawal.” Nih.gov, StatPearls Publishing, 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526012/
- Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. “Adult Substance Misuse Treatment Statistics 2022 to 2023: Report.” GOV.UK, 21 Dec. 2023, www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2022-to-2023/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2022-to-2023-report
- Office for National Statistics. “Deaths Related to Drug Poisoning in England and Wales.” Ons.gov.uk, Office for National Statistics, 23 Oct. 2024, www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2023registrations
- STILL AMBITIOUS for RECOVERY. 2024, www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CSJ-Still_Ambitious_for_Recovery.pdf
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