Heroin has long been a problem for all users and their families. It is one of the most highly addictive drugs out there and has a great overdose potential. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occuring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder and can be snorted, smoked or injected into the body.

Street names for herioin include:

• Smack
• "H"
• Skag
• Junk
• Tar
• Mud
• Smack
• China White
• Mexican Brown
• Horse
• Boy
• Harry
• H-Bomb

With regular use of heroin, tolerance quickly develops. This means the user needs more and more heroin to achieve the same intensity or effect from the drug. As higher doses are used over time, physical dependence and addiction develop. With physical dependence, the body has adapted to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms typically occur if use is reduced or stopped. Withdrawal, which in regular users may occur as early as a few hours after the last use, produces drug craving, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and kicking movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose and subside after about a week. Sudden withdrawal by heavy users is occasionally fatal.