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What is Black Tar Heroin?

Like other heroin substances, black tar heroin is extremely addictive, It can be used in a way that leads to severe addiction, painful withdrawal, mental health problems, and even fatal overdose.

In general, heroin has a long history in the United States and comes from diverse geographical locations. It’s called “black tar” heroin because of its brown or dark black appearance. Moreover, it has a thick, sticky consistency that resembles roofing tar. When hardened, it can also look like a piece of coal. Unlike the more well-known white heroin that comes in powdered form, black tar heroin is unrefined.

Like other substance abuse and addiction protocols, black tar heroin requires comprehensive treatment that includes detox and a residential program. A person addicted to heroin needs more than just detox. They need physical and psychological treatment, which will make help them have a better chance of living in long-term sobriety.

What Are the Signs of Heroin Use?

Heroin is a highly potent opioid drug. Due to this, a person may have an intense craving to use it again after only trying it once. When use becomes compulsive, many people continue to use even after it begins harming them physically or mentally.

As heroin use changes into addiction, the quality of a person’s life can go downhill quite fast. Ignoring other responsibilities in life, such as family, relationships, or job, is only the beginning of heroin abuse.

Once addiction is in full-swing, they will likely show the following signs:

Tolerance: After a normal dose, they do not feel the euphoric effects they used to feel. This often leads to higher dosages.

Dependence: Regular use causes the body to become dependent on black tar heroin. Without it, the body cannot function normally. Thus, strong cravings accompany this symptom.

Withdrawal: A person who is dependent will experience uncomfortable and likely painful withdrawal symptoms if they quit heroin use “cold turkey.”

What Are the Short-Term Effects of Black Tar Heroin?

Though black tar heroin can be smoked, impure heroin is often dissolved and diluted for injection by way of a needle. Injection into a vein, into a muscle, or under the skin are common modes of use. Due to its potency and unrefined quality, black tar heroin’s effects have a quick onset, especially by injection method.

As feel-good, euphoric effects begin, a person may also experience the following short-term negative effects of black tar heroin:

Clouded thoughts
Dry mouth
Intense itching
Legs and arms feel heavy
Nausea and vomiting
Warm, flushed skin

Moreover, because black tar heroin is unrefined, it is more easily subject to contamination. One study found increased outbreaks of soft tissue infections and toxic shock syndrome resulting from “bad” black tar heroin. These short-term risks are just a small slice of the dangers of heroin use.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Black Tar?

Using heroin even just once can be dangerous because of its addictive quality. However, the long-term effects of continued use can be detrimental to the brain and body. The physical and mental long-term effects of black tar heroin include:

Addiction
Brain damage
Depression
Hormonal problems
Insomnia
Overdose
Sexual dysfunction (for men)

Overall, heroin can put your health in fast decline and cause your immune system to weaken. Respiratory depression is also a significant risk, as well as tuberculosis and certain types of pneumonia.

What Are the Signs of Black Tar Heroin Overdose?

While overdoses aren’t always fatal, they have the potential to be and aren’t worth the risk. On the one hand, the first dose of black tar heroin may cause an overdose for one person. On the other hand, an person abusing it for many years may overdose much later.

Signs of black tar heroin overdose include:

Constipation
Delirium
Drowsiness
Faint heartbeat
Intestinal or stomach spasms
Low blood pressure
Pinpoint pupils
Tongue discoloration

If you suspect you or another person are showing these signs of overdose, calling emergency medical services as soon as possible could save a life. If administered early enough, the opioid overdose reversal drug could reverse the overdose before it becomes fatal.

What Programs Can Help With Heroin Recovery?

Medical detox and residential programs are the most common ways to treat heroin addiction. The aim of a medical detox program is to stabilize a person’s body while the drug is being cleansed from its system. In order to help assure a person’s safety and comfort as much as possible, 24-hour care and supervision are provided.

Medications can also be a vital component of a detox program. Medications can work to reduce withdrawal symptoms so that person can begin preparing for the next stage of treatment. The use of medications is often paired with behavioral therapies to help them maintain abstinence from black tar heroin in the long-term.

While it’s true that outpatient treatments for heroin addiction do exist, a residential or inpatient program is the better solution. It is often recommended because of how severe the addiction can be. Moreover, residential programs address psychological addictions and provide a higher level of support. These programs should address the addiction’s emotional, mental, behavioral, and social elements.

Finding the Right Black Tar Heroin Recovery Program

The best residential treatment programs offer individualized treatments that are built on each client’s needs. When recovery is tailored to a client’s specific needs and recovery goals, they have a better chance of maintaining long-lasting sobriety.

If you or someone you know is struggling with heroin addiction, don’t hesitate to seek help. Many recovery centers provide a variety of treatment options so that you can find the program that best suits your needs. Reach out to a team member at Numa Recovery today for treatment options—your healing journey can begin today!

For those who have just started their recovery journey, it’s important to be aware of what are called “triggers.” Triggers are types of reactions that can push someone back into their addictive cycle, or even a full-blown relapse. Triggers in addiction look different for everyone but they all share common patterns that you can learn to identify. Ultimately, identifying them can turn into overcoming them so that you can live a healthy and whole life.

What Are Triggers in Addiction and Why Do They Matter?

In general, triggers can be categorized into three different types:

Social
Environmental
Emotional

Social triggers are usually caused by seeing people that you knew or were close with during your substance abuse; environmental triggers are brought on by being in places or situations you frequented during abuse; and emotional triggers can be sparked by any number of stressful emotional or psychological situations.

Emotional triggers are the most complex of the three categories. And oftentimes, other mental and emotional conditions play into how triggers are expressed. According to a recent study in the journal of Addictive Behaviors, people that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are significantly more likely to return to substance abuse habits than those without PTSD.

Although all three types of triggers have their different challenges, emotional triggers are the most complex and difficult to identify. Therefore, the tips below are focused on emotional triggers but can still be used in any situation or environment.

Identifying and Understanding Emotional Triggers

Our brains are wired to react in any given situation. As soon as something occurs, no matter how mundane, your brain sends a reaction signal. The brain then creates a reason for your reaction that is meant to justify your behavior. Unfortunately, this justification still happens even when your behavior makes no sense.

Sometimes this can result in you blaming your situation or people around you for a reaction that is entirely within your own control. You might blame your superiors, your working conditions, or life circumstances for a reaction that you made in a split second. But misdirecting blame is not the only way to deal with emotional triggers. As many books have shown, there are healthier and more productive ways to overcome these triggers in addiction.

Seven Ways to Overcome Emotional Triggers in Addiction

#1: Accept Responsibility

In the first moments after you experience an emotional trigger, it’s important to place yourself in a position of power. This includes self-control in your mind. Try not to blame things around you. Instead, affirm that you are the only one who can control how you react and how things affect you.

#2: Recognize the Emotional Reaction

It’s also important to pay attention to your body in the midst of an emotional trigger. Your body will tell you what emotion you are experiencing. This may include breathing differently, constricting muscles, or activating a feeling in your gut. By noticing these bodily responses, you’ll have a better chance at slowing down the trigger process enough to think rationally.

#3: Identify the Cause of Triggers in Addiction

Once you determine that you are having an emotional trigger, the next step is to identify the cause. Perhaps your emotions are triggered by the perception that someone is taking away something you value in life. Or maybe you’re assuming the thoughts of a person without enough information.

On the other hand, you will also be able to identify if your emotional trigger is a response to a genuine threat or danger. Only by slowing down will be you able to tell if you’re experiencing verbal abuse, manipulative behavior, or even physical danger.

#4: Choose How You Want to Feel

After completing steps one, two, and three, you can then choose how you want to feel. Instead of letting your body or instinctual reaction decide how you feel and act, this is the moment to take back emotional control.

Once you make your choice about your feelings and what you want to do as your next step, it’s always a good idea to relax and remove tension from your body. This will help you clear your mind of thoughts and focus on how you want to feel. You’ll probably notice how your feelings change and find that you have more confidence in your decision.

#5: Take Care of Yourself

When your body and mind are a healthy place, it gives you a huge advantage when trying to avoid all types of triggers. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising will put you in a balanced mental state that will help you deal with your new challenges more effectively. Having a clear mind and body helps you to avoid emotional responses that may cause you to relapse.

#6: Surround Yourself With Supportive Relationships

In addition to the tips dedicated to emotional triggers in addiction, it’s also important to address social and environmental triggers. Therefore, it’s vital that you surround yourself with supportive people in safe spaces. Professional support groups and friends that understand your mission of recovery will go a long way in helping you avoid social and environmental triggers. Additionally, avoiding places that you frequented during your addiction will save you stress in the early stages of recovery and your vulnerable position.

# 7: Believe in Yourself

Perhaps the simplest idea, but the hardest goal to achieve, in a life of recovery is to believe in yourself. To believe in yourself, you must fully forgive yourself for past mistakes and allow yourself to start building self-confidence.

Believing that you can get through a tough patch and address triggers when they arise is a key part to the recovery process. You must believe that you are stronger in sobriety. And although you will always have doubts and fears, your self-belief needs to just be a touch stronger than those doubts for you to succeed. You can do this.

To begin your healing journey, get in touch with a professional at Numa Recovery today. You’ll never regret giving yourself and your health the attention it deserves.