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Heroin is a powerful and addictive substance that can be sold in the form of a powder, pill, or a liquid. It's growth in the UK is of epidemic proportions, with children as young as 10-14 years old experimenting with the drug.
Heroin can be smoked with tobacco, heated on tin foil ('chasing the dragon'), snorted or injected, either just below the skin's surface ('skin popping') or directly into a vein ('mainlining'). The majority of UK addicts inject the drug.
Initially most users experience a sleepy, pleasant euphoria and total relief from stress and anxiety as the drug enters the system. This then makes way for a feeling of calm and relaxation.
Heroin is not instantly addictive, but with regular usage the body adjusts and tolerance sets in, until no pleasurable feelings are felt at all. By then the body needs the drug just to stay 'normal' and keep off the pains of withdrawal.
Some heroin addicts - often the younger ones - find themselves getting involved with crime and prostitution to feed their habit, and this sometimes ends up by them being exploited by others.
No matter what 'cool' imagery the media tries to portray about the drug, the stark truth is that heroin addiction is a hard, ugly addiction for most people and one that has wrecked many, many lives - although it is important to note that not all heroin addicts fit the media stereotype of the smacked up loser bumbling around in the gutter. Some manage to live relatively normal lives with their addiction.
Side effects: Heroin can turn some people into mumbling, introspective bores, unable to get a grip on what's going on around them. Heroin suppresses the appetite and dehydrates the body and this can lead to users not eating properly and their health subsequently suffering.