What is Black Drug?
The black drug is one of the many slang terms for black tar heroin, a form of heroin produced in Mexico and South America.
Heroin is a very addictive and dangerous substance, and the rate of use and overdose has soared in recent years. This is largely due to an increase in opioid prescriptions from doctors.
Here at BriteLife Recovery, we recognize heroin is not like other drugs. That is why we have created a specialized heroin addiction treatment program to help clients stop using for good.
Read on to learn more about black tar heroin, its effects, and ways to help you or a loved one overcome this addiction.
Understanding Black Drug
Black tar heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine, which comes from opium poppy plants. Other drugs that come from these plants include codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Black tar drug gets its name from its dark brown to black color and sticky consistency. This is the result of hasty processing methods that leave behind impurities in the heroin.
Opioids are considered psychoactive drugs because they have mind-altering effects. Unlike morphine, black drug is never used as medicine. It can have many different adverse effects on your body and mind. We address these negative effects in our treatment program with the aim of rebuilding health and wellness from the inside out.
What Are the Effects on Your Body?
When black drug enters your system, it attaches to certain cells in your body known as opioid receptors. These receptors are usually responsible for the sensations of pain and pleasure. When black tar drug attaches to these receptors, it causes you to relax and feel a rush of pleasant feelings, like happiness and relaxation. It can also lead to a feeling of your mind being clouded and cause you to go in and out of consciousness, an effect usually called “nodding.”
However, pleasurable these sensations may be, tar drug has many negative side effects, including dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and severe itching. More seriously, heroin use is known to cause slowed breathing and heart rate. If you consume alcohol when on black tar drug, it can cause coma, dangerously slowed breathing and even death.
What Are the Effects on Your Brain?
For people who use heroin regularly, the risk of addiction and suffering long-term negative health consequences increases every day. Over time, heroin use changes the way your brain works.
These changes to your brain can result in:
- Poor decision-making abilities and risky choices such as needle sharing
- Unusual changes in behaviors or moods
- An inability to deal with stressful situations
- Developing a tolerance to black drug, which means that you will need more of it to feel the effects or “high”
- Dependence on black drug: a need to continue using it to prevent withdrawal symptoms
- Addiction to black drug, or an inability to stop using it even when you realize it is harmful
Developing an addiction to heroin can happen quickly because it is such a potent drug. Additionally, withdrawal effects from heroin are unpleasant, so users develop a need to use the drug more to feel normal. Without proper treatment, many users cannot stop using black tar drugs.
How Can it be Abused?
Many people who find themselves abusing black tar heroin were the first users of prescription opioids. Studies have found that upwards of 80% of heroin users report starting with prescription opioids.
People who use heroin consume the drug in many different ways. They may dissolve it in water to drink it or to inject it into veins. They may crush it to snort it through the nose. They may heat it so that they can smoke the black tar. They may even inject dissolved black tar drug as a suppository.
Long-Term Effects of Heroin Use
Aside from causing dependence and addiction, using heroin has various negative effects on your body over time. These effects include insomnia, constipation, liver and kidney disease, and infections of the heart. Men may experience sexual problems, and women may experience changes in menstrual cycles.
There are additional problems that can develop depending on how a person ingests the drug. For those who snort it, nasal passages can be damaged. For those who smoke it, the lungs can be damaged, and some users develop chronic lung disease. And for those who inject heroin, risks include developing hardened or collapsed veins, infections under the skin, and experiencing an increased risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis.
Mental Illness and Black Drug
Along with physical problems, heroin can cause mental health issues or worsen previously existing mental health issues. One of the most immediate side effects of coming down from a heroin high is depression, as your brain misses the euphoria that heroin creates. The feeling of needing to “fix” the depression by using heroin again is what often causes people to become addicted.
Unfortunately, once you are hooked on heroin, mental side effects do not stop. Users experience mood swings, anxiety, paranoia, hopelessness, and a tendency to be antisocial. Some users even report self-harm as a side effect of heroin use.
Medical Treatment Options for Black Drug Abuse
Even though black tar heroin is a very addictive drug, there are effective treatment options available to people ready to kick their addictions. There are medications available to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings for the black drug, including buprenorphine and methadone. These medications are typically prescribed by physicians treating patients with opioid addictions.
Another option is naltrexone, a medicine that prevents patients from feeling a “high” on opioids. Patients who use naltrexone must first be fully detoxified in order for it to be able to work.
Behavioral Treatment Options
Medications alone are not effective in treating black drug addiction. Behavioral therapies are an equally important part of the recovery process. A common, effective option is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This kind of treatment gives clients the tools to manage stress and triggers that lead to heroin use by changing negative behaviors.
Another option is contingency management (CM). This type of treatment rewards clients with things that motivate them, such as small cash rewards, to reinforce positive behaviors to keep them drug-free. Both of these behavioral treatment options are most effective for heroin users when combined with medical treatments.
Paying for Treatment
We know that one of the most difficult parts of seeking treatment is worrying about paying for it. That is why we have developed a simple 4-step process to make it easy for you to use your insurance benefits to cover part or all of your rehabilitation costs.
First, call your insurance company to find out if they cover recovery treatment. Next, call or email our admissions staff and provide us with your insurance information. We will tell you immediately if your provider is in our network and what is covered.
Once you know what is covered and what is not, you will can determine what you will be able to pay out of pocket to fill in any gaps. Additionally, our admissions team can help you file claims with your insurance company to ensure your coverage is used to the fullest.
Located in Hilton Head, South Carolina, we at BriteLife Recovery know that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to treating heroin addiction. We have developed a range of treatment options to help people across the southeast United States overcome heroin addiction.
Our idyllic location helps to provide a safe and relaxing atmosphere for our clients. As we strive to treat your mind, body, and spirit, we also work to diagnose and treat any secondary disorders that you may be experiencing.
You do not have to continue struggling with your black tar heroin addiction alone. Let BriteLife Recovery provide you with all of the tools and resources you need to successfully overcoming your addiction. Call us today to get started on your road to recovery.