How long does it take to develop a dependence to heroin?

[AntGenovese]

I'm sure the answer to this question really depends on the individual, but I'm only looking for an average, or round about guesstimate.
Talking opiates, heroin specifically, how long would someone have to use the drug daily before they developed a dependence and would experience withdrawal symptoms from the lack of use?
Would it be days? Weeks? Months?

 

[d3Xo-fan]

I would say a week, perhaps slightly less. Depends on the quality and amount also.

 

[Mugz]

I'm sure the answer to this question really depends on the individual, but I'm only looking for an average, or round about guesstimate.
Talking opiates, heroin specifically, how long would someone have to use the drug daily before they developed a dependence and would experience withdrawal symptoms from the lack of use?
Would it be days? Weeks? Months?

That is your answer, other variables have to be taken into consideration too, such as the frequency of use, the method of administration, whether someone has an "addictive personality"

So much to consider that is is pretty impossible to answer the question accurately.

This thread will most likely lead to speculation, although you may get some fairly decent answers from other posters ,I will leave this open for now, but if it devolves into a thread full of misinformation and anecdotes then I won't hesitate to.

 

[maxalfie]

You can't really say how long it would take you to become dependent on heroin.
It depends on how much you take a day, strength of the heroin, are you injecting or smoking it? Worth noting that mental addiction could occur even before physical addiction does.
I started smoking it at weekends at first, then midweek as well then before I knew it I needed it everyday.
Due to it costing so much I switched to the needle which worked out cheaper for a while but that soon increased.
Eleven years on I am back to smoking it as veins totally shot to pieces and yet I still can't quite give it up.
Best get off this road before it turns into a lifetime road trip.

 

[verso]

I can only tell you what I've experienced, and of course my experience may be, and likely will be, very different from another's. In my experience, however, I've come to find that a week of using regularly each and every day, one or two bags a day (insufflated), is enough for me to develop some small physical dependence upon the substance but nothing too spectacular.

I've been using pretty regularly this past week, and I had to save a bag for this morning to feel right again. I felt off-kilter without it... bloated, achy, tired, etc... and those are the symptoms of withdrawal, evidence of physical dependence.

 

[opiatekrzy]

it took me about one year to become physically dependent on heroin (IVed) i was using 1-3 bags per day, at the worst 3-4x a week

 

[Glitched]

it took me about one year to become physically dependent on heroin (IVed) i was using 1-3 bags per day, at the worst 3-4x a week

No disrespect intended but you were probably dependant on it way before the year. By saying that you are implying that the OP can use every day for 200 days and stop dead at 201 and be absolutly fine. I can assure you this is not the case! If you meant that you were addicted for a year then I apologise but I had to speak up in case it was read in such a way.

I think I remember reading somewhere that there are slight physical depoendancies after just 3 days of use and you will feel WD's (although they will be small) after that time.

 

[itsok]

Physical dependence creeps up ever so slowly - incredible gradually that it may seem imperceptible, hence people get tricked into it almost. At first, using h giving you a bit of a attitude pep, a lil bit of motivation, then a bit of energy so u can so the things u need to and want to do in life. By the time the physical symptoms sink in, i feel like the psychological (the worst part) have already taken their grip. Physical addiction is an extremely sneaky phenomena. Why do u think so many "smart" people fall prey to it?

 

[nAON]

What amounts are you using? How regularly? What ROA? What's your natural tolerance like? Too many variables to take into account to be able to answer this accurately. But in general, every time you use it, your tolerance will go up very slightly.

 

[SciCo]

I was feeling withdrawals (achy, flu-like) after 4 days of using 1 - 2 bags a day, intranasally. I used off and on for a couple months (usually only 2 days in a row, every other week or so), and the thing that surprised me was how quickly my tolerance level rose and I began shooting up. Your mileage may vary, but I can definitely relate to what the poster said above about this being a "sneaky" drug.

 

[zetamine]

i was recently(2 weeks ago or so) convinced i would withdraw from opie's, was at 60mg iv oxy/morph or 30mg ketobemidone several times over the day. my supply ran out and i braced myself for some rough wd's. i had been using everyday for a few months..

and yet, i dont feel it, no diarrhea, no chills, the odd ache but no more.. when i first stopped using(tramadol at relatively small doses) i went through insomnia and hell for a week.. i think there isnt really any set time for tolerance to develop, our cns's are just too different.

 

[Soccertrendy]

I have felt withdrawals after only three days of pretty regular use, but as said i also think its too hard to say! everyone is too different!

 

[lostowl]

I'm sure the answer to this question really depends on the individual, but I'm only looking for an average, or round about guesstimate.
Talking opiates, heroin specifically, how long would someone have to use the drug daily before they developed a dependence and would experience withdrawal symptoms from the lack of use?
Would it be days? Weeks? Months?

going through detoxes and prisons everyone generally agrees if you shoot up three days in a row you will go through withdrawals

 

[TimKT9]

it took me about one year to become physically dependent on heroin (IVed) i was using 1-3 bags per day, at the worst 3-4x a week

Wow it really took you a full year to become physically dependent on heroin? Not discrediting your experience, as everyone is different. That just seems like a long time before becoming dependent on IV heroin

 

[OhcraphereIgoagain]

I had a bundle a day habit..some days a little more..for just over 2 years..i had been clean for 3 months with the aid of suboxine for about 6 weeks which I did a taper from almost the very beginning..somehow someway for the past 12 days I've done on average about 1.5 bags per day..after 5-6 days I kept telling myself that I would score 1 sub and take it over 4 days and then be done with it all once again..well here I am on day 12 and still no sub..I do plan on getting one tom..my question is without the sub can I expect mild to severe wds? 1.5 bags a day snorting for less than 2 weeks

 

[Billy123]

One year? SWIM became addicted after roughly 10 days of continual use whilst using to help them come down. They were using for roughly a year beforehand but made sure that they were using it intermittently but went on a binge recently and messed up. Although I would agree the timescale for mental/physical addiction is different for everybody and also dependant upon a lot of mitigating factors I find it difficult to believe the one year timeline.