Drug addiction and depression have always had a very complicated and intertwined relationship. Substance abuse and mental illnesses like depression are found together so frequently that doctors came up with a term for the co-occurring disorders, dual diagnosis. According to The US Department of Health and Human Services, individuals who suffer from major depression have higher rates of alcoholism and drug addiction. This same study found that more than 1 out of every 5 adults who experienced an episode of depression in the previous year also engaged in substance abuse. These daunting statistics left researchers wondering, which came first, the drug addiction problems or the depression?

How Substance Abuse Can Lead to Depression

Substance abuse can lead to depression in a variety of ways. Experts agree that extreme and prolonged substance abuse can cause psychiatric problems in those addicted. Symptoms of depression are commonly reported as are hallucinations to a lesser extent. Depressive symptoms can develop as a result of a current alcohol or drug addiction like with alcohol for example, a known depressant. Depressive symptoms can also come as a result of withdrawal symptoms or a “come down” from the high of a drug like cocaine. There are instances when the depression can be short-lived when coming as a result of substance abuse but there are instances as well where the symptoms turn into a full blown, prolonged illness.

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Heroin addiction is a personal struggle that many describe as the biggest monster they ever have had to deal with. Heroin is like most drugs in that it starts off just being something that the user does from time to time. They start off by just doing it in private or the company of peers and don’t realizing that they are about to change their life for the worse. Once a Heroin addiction has taken hold there are very harsh consequences to the body and mind. Heroin is an opiate drug that first reared its ugly head in 1874. It is a crystallized white powder that steams from morphine and has an extreme addiction rate. This addiction becomes so overpowering that people who become dependent on heroin are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it. The strong addiction to heroin does not only hurt the addict but also their family and friends. Someone who is addicted to heroin is not in their right mind when consuming this life threatening drug, and their actions can easily break up families.

A Dangerous Addiction

The number of reported heroin overdoses each year is very high – being a factor in 164,000 emergency room visits across the US in 2006 – because of the drug’s high toxicity. Even though this drug has such obvious debilitating effects, like other opiates, once addicted it is hard for an individual to stop using it. One of the reasons for this is because the effects of withdrawal are so intense that many would rather stay using this dangerous drug then to feel the withdraw pains that come with trying to detox from it. The discomfort and anxiety of withdrawal can set in as little as 6 hours after discontinuation of the drug, contributing to the vicious cycle of dependency.

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Heroin addiction can be devastating not only to the user, but the loved ones of the user as well. No one wants to see their family member or friend abusing drugs and nine times out of ten the user doesn’t want to be a substance abuser either. What most fail to realize is that if it were that easy to quit a damaging substance like heroin, then it would be done all the time with no qualms. However battling heroin addiction is no easy feat and all parties involved need to remain empathetic to each others’ needs. This is easier said than done, but it can be done.

Heroin addiction is not a habit that can be picked up overnight; it is actually a habit that is formed by previous dependencies. Addictions begin with early usage of other drugs such as marijuana, alcohol and other recreational substances. Abusers normally begin to try harsher drugs when they are attempting to self-medicate emotional pain or ward off withdrawal pains. What’s sad about this is that once this habit is formed the user begins to believe that they cannot escape using the drug.

Anyone has the mental capacity to stop using drugs; it just takes time and a lot of support. If the user continues to abuse heroin to the point of overuse the effects upon the heart, lungs, and brains can be fatal. Naturally no one would like to see this happen under any circumstances so detox is a must in order to prevent overuse from happening.

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