Heroin comes in many forms. All of them are equally addictive and deadly.	Heroin is a highly addictive drug that is processed from morphine, a substance extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Addicts may refer to heroin as "pills" or "bags." Some street names include "smack", "H", "junk", "shit" and "skag."
ASIAN POPPY SEEDPOD The wonderful medical uses of the products from this plant are, unfortunately, offset by the devastation caused by the abuse of these same products.	It's all heroin and it's all horribly addictive whether snorted, smoked or injected. Heroin ranges in color from white to dark brown, with much of the heroin on the street resembling brown sugar. There is no easy way to tell with what other material it has been cut.
In the second half of the 19th century morphine addiction was rampant. In 1895 a German company developed a drug that they claimed was a new, non-addictive substitute for morphine. That drug was called Heroin. Heroin was sold over-the counter mixed with other medications and liquids as a cure for everything from alcoholism, cancer and colds to mental illness. Of course they did not "cure" diseases, but the effect of the heroin caused the users to forget about their aches, pains and more serious conditions. In 1920 the U.S. Congress passed the Dangerous Drug Act which banned heroin. It was too late. By 1925 an estimated 200,000 people were addicted to heroin. In 1996 a National Household Survey of Drug Abuse estimated that 2.4 MILLION people have used heroin. Most were under the age of 26 with the fastest growing age group being in their teens. Since 1996 the purity of heroin has increased to the point that many people have been able to experience the feeling they seek by snorting the drug. Although most addicts eventually use needles, the fact that they can snort the drug leads some people to think that it is safe to "experiment" with the drug. With heroin, experimentation in any form is likely to lead to a life-threatening addiction. We read and hear, almost daily, of a "famous" person who has admitted to heroin or other opiate addiction, or who has died of an overdose. As terrible as this news is, the fact is that every addict is a famous person to some people. To a mother, father, son, daughter, co-worker, neighbor or friend, the addict is every bit as vital and important as any "celebrity." Each addict dramatically affects many other people. Each addict must be made to realize that the infamous statement "I'm only hurting myself" is a blatant and horrible lie. Recovery from addiction is hard. It takes comittment and the willingness to follow through despite the terrible drug hunger, the urges and carvings. Desire to recover is a good start, BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH. Families, friends, support groups and professionals can guide and assist the addict on his or her road to recovery, but only the addict can make lasting recovery a reality. He or she is the only person who can do the work! Addicts CAN and DO start a lasting recovery every day. The benefits are enormous and the alternative is destruction.	MOST YOUNG ADDICTS TODAY DON'T START BY USING NEEDLES, BUT SOONER OR LATER, WHEN THEY GET "POOR QUALITY DOPE" THEY WILL INJECT. AFTER THE FIRST INJECTION, THEY USUALLY STAY WITH USING NEEDLES. WITH THE USE OF NEEDLES, IN ADDITION TO THE HORRORS OF ADDICTION, COMES THE POSSIBILTY OF CONTRACTING THE HIV VIRUS, HEPATITIS AND BACTERIAL INFECTIONS THAT STRIKE AT THE HEART VALVES.