is it possible to use heroin recreationally/infrequently?

[crocodilelogicx]

yes. it is possible, very difficult, but possible. You will never be the same without it though, the sober mind will be permanently changed after use.

 

[drug_mentor]

I am not really the best example because I have numerous other substances I abuse and/or am addicted to but I have been using heroin for many years, generally infrequently, and despite probably considering opiates/opioids my DOC these days they also tend to be the class of drugs I manage to use the least. I have never had a habit, aside from MILD as fuck sickness once or twice when stopping few week straight runs on codeine. I think its entirely possible to try heroin and not become addicted to it, in most of my friend circles it is frowned upon and the couple of people who ended up trying it with me didn't even enjoy it a great deal.

You can't diminish the addictive properties of heroin but in my mind there is no such thing as a drug guaranteed to cause addiction, even when one does descend into addiction there are usually more factors at play than substance use alone and thats important to consider. Heroin is very good at numbing physical and emotional pain and someone who uses heroin and then experiences some kind of trauma may be more likely to turn to smack because of it, I think in many cases this is probably what seperates those who develop a serious problem and those who don't.

 

[SpiritFolk]

I think its entirely possible to try heroin and not become addicted to it, in most of my friend circles it is frowned upon and the couple of people who ended up trying it with me didn't even enjoy it a great deal.

I did H after doing basically most other drugs for years, I was wanna kinda let down and 'didn't enjoy it a great deal' either. In the end I was totally smacked out but it's subtle if ur used to meth/coke then its not as intense as hammmering. But a very decent connection source made a lot fuckin difference as to how easily my addiction unfolded.

Now I still use very very little, and always when not thinking straight but have had like shot 1 of H once a year for 4-5 years? so it's definitly possible, but whether or not that will last is up to god.

I pray I keep relativley daily clean of opiates, although I love them..

 

[xstayfadedx]

Yeah its possible but hard to do... I have a friend who uses it occasionally but isn't a junkie. Yet, its hard to do, its hard to do with any opiate or hard drug... And don't go saying oh I won't get addicted to it because I don't have a circle of friends who do. Trust me sooner than later you will have a inner circle who does.... Trust me I had zero friends who did drugs besides smoking weed. Yeah, that's how it was but as soon as I got knee deep in my oxycontin use my friends were no longer just the honor roll kids or whatever. If you don't have that circle you end up finding and making one. So again all I'm just saying is don't rely on the fact that you don't have friends who use or a steady connect because that can all change quickly.

 

[Jakeperson]

I remember reading an article in Other Drugs or Basic Drug Discussion that some one posted in a thread very similar to his that said 24% of people that try Heroin go on to become addicts. Alcohol was high teens, low twenties, so not much difference over all.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

I call bullshit on 20% of people who drink becoming addicted, unless "addiction" means having a glass of wine with dinner.

 

[drug_mentor]

^ The parameters for alcoholism are pretty low imho, I could drink a bit under a third of my average daily intake of alcohol and if I did that only 5 days a week it would still qualify as alcoholism according to my doctor and substance abuse counsellor. I am under no illusions that I have a drinking problem but to me its pretty crazy to say a handful of standard drinks on most days is alcoholism, if it is then way more than 20% of people I know are alcoholics.

Honestly I don't have too much trouble believing nearly 20% of those who drink have an addiction to it at some point in their lives, I know a lot of families and social groups that considerably more than 20% would be alcoholics. I just think that some of what they are defining as an addiction is very much on the lighter side of it.

 

[opi8]

I was a full blown alcoholic, opiates fixed that problem but they obviously caused a lot more. They're not in the same league, mainly because of the legal status of heroin. If you could buy smack as easily as you could a 6 pack, wait, I'm dreaming again.

 

[SpiritFolk]

I have serious drinking problem and I know that.

I consume on average half to 1.5 bottle vodka/scotch daily. I still don't get physical withdrawals.

Now I believe this is due to my Ukrainian / Polish heratige, as its just 'in my blood' so to speak. But have seen in rehab and been freinds with some real alco's.

The levels with alcohol are so varied among different people and race that it is completely different for say some of my aboriginal friends (not 1/4 abo) and Mauri friends, and it is much more addicting for them from what I have seen and from what they have told me, but even they drink alot without any real physical w/d compared to say a small H habit.

The real alco's I knew would drink seriously like 2-3 bottle's daily and really every damn day.

But addiction is addiction wheter psychological or not and can be extremly powerful. For me with everything from crack down to dope. One you have cleaned ur body and de toxed it. It really is a up to you and you only whether you fall back into addiction, and suffient discipline and practised self control you can control things to not get out of hand.

Maybe I'm telling myself this right now to trick myself into still drinking/using, but it's been a few years now and I am only getting more successful and enjoying a better standard off living, so I must be doing something right, and I didn't learn it in AA/NA. Just be safe and somehow don't let addiction take over to the physical side as most of us on here are in some way on some level psychologically addicted....

 

[What was it?]

big note: any other ROA for heroin other than smoking or IV, and the effects are almost the same as morphine.

It's really the rush you get from smoking or shooting that makes H so unique. I feel the most addictive drug would have to be H's first 3-5 minute rush after a big dose without the nod....but the nod/morphine-like high is obviously included.

If you snort it's just as addictive as all the other stuff you've done - if you shoot or smoke your in a new world....not marginally different - totally different.

And also, shooting morphine is much less addictive than H. Shooting morphine just pulls the muscles together in your shoulder blades and gives you pins and needles in your hands etc. SHooting H gives you a fountain of liquid warm gold flowing from the centre of your chest outwards into your arm, legs and feet, flushing in waves through your brain with the most ecstatic feeling you could ever imagine. (the first 3 minutes of a largish dose)

 

[5000m]

So many good posts in this thread. I have never used h thanks to advice from a trustworthy friend who is much harder into drugs than myself. He keeps telling me to avoid heroin like the plague, that meth addiction doesn't come close because of the physical WDs from h.

I wonder how the intense high from h compares to a good roll or peaking on shabu though.

 

[lowski E]

hey just my 2 cents

Some of the threads (such as the Smackie thread) have got me thinking about this question. I have never tried heroin as I have always had the perception of it as a very addictive and seductive substance. I do have some experience with opiates, having used codeine, hydrocodone and oxycodone extensively. However, they have always had certain pull to me, particularly oxy, which I felt compelled to use daily. I was luckily able to stop use of it altogether before I experienced withdrawal. As a result of this, I have steered clear of smack. I reason, if I like the weaker opiates alot, then I will surely LOVE heroin.

Many of the threads on here that talk about heroin also have posters talk about their struggles with addiction. Heroin certainly has a reputation as being one of the most addictive drugs. Have many on here been able to keep their use minimal? Or for most heroin users, did the use quickly get out of control? I am sure that there are people who use recreationally and have never been addicted, but I would be interested to hear all peoples stories.

I would be particularly interested to hear if those who IV have been able to keep their use minimal.

i actually started doing it after my first and only time ever in rehab. I did it once when i was 16 and did one line before the way to a new years party and i slept the whole way there. (an hour and a half away) then i rolled my brains out. But at 27 i volunteered to go to rehab after abusing every drug under the sun, xanax adderall liquid g ketamine quualudes klonopin valium heroin oxycodone ect ect ect so i stopped and went to detox for 7 days and loved it cuz i could get valium subutex and some strong sleep aid whenever i wanted. like every 2 hours. so i would get 30mg of valium every 2 hours for 6 or 7 days. Loved that. But when i went to a 28 day rehab plan i was the only volunteer there....everybody else was there for getting busted with h. I had only done it once....i had done vicodins(30 10/325 a day for about 4 years and percocets at the same time) but at rehab they taught me how much cheaper it was and how easy it was to get in chicago. So i went down with 2 kids from rehab to try it once to see how good it was..... and i did one bag for the first time which lasted me 2 days. I was so fucked up off a quarter line. In chicago china white or raw is unbelieveable. The downfall was trying the needle. I always said i was a recreactional user til the needle. That is what kills it for everybody. Its so easy and quick. Its like a drag of a cigarette but a million times stronger...... just dont do it....i lost my money,mind, fiance, career, family was always there for me thank god, not worth it. I take subutex now and it helps with my lower back which got me into all of this. L1-L5 all herniated. So just dont do it.....its something i can say is TOOOOOO good. You think X is fun and good..... heroin will take everything you have. The socks off your feet if it gives you ten bucks for a hit. peace my 2 cents.Im good now thank god.....i still am prescribed to xanax and adderall for work but thats it....good luck everybody

 

[dope avenue]

i'd avoid it at all costs, i understand the curiosity, i was using oxys for years, never slipped up due to a restricted monthly supply, would keep it to weekend use easy and the occasional high during the week.
then i tried heroin, have never injected it, but was underwhelmed on the first few tries, and then i caught that glorious high, the main issue with heroin for me was the accessibility of it, as you can buy it whenever you want, with absolute full access to dope, and not having to wait on prescriptions to come around every month, top that off with a weekly income (assuming you work) it goes down hill very quickly, i mean why wouldn't you use everyday, when it's one phone call away, dope becomes number 1 priority
Not saying it's impossible, but you need damn strong will power not to, and even then you'll find some bullshit excuse to justify scoring anyway
If you can somehow seperate yourself from a dealer, and use a trusted middle man/friend, who could control your supply, maybe just maybe you can chip, i dunno man im starting to ramble so i'll wrap it up here, good luck if you decide to chose this path

 

[SixBuckets]

Heroin is considered to be among the most addictive commonly used substances (I think it's number 3? Maybe number 2. Definitely in the top three.). The stat generally used in AOD research is that around 20 - 25% of people who try heroin go on to become dependent. Unfortunately (as I keep saying when people ask this same question about meth) there's no way to predict who's going to be in the 25% and who's going to be in the larger group that try it and don't go on to use regularly.

Heroin is a bit of a tough one to talk about in terms of "how addictive it is" because addiction and dependence are so closely linked with opiates and opioids. To clarify: addiction is the "feelings and actions" around substance ab/use - the cravings, the intrusive thoughts, the mood stuff, the scoring and using even though it's negatively impacting your life, the interpersonal issues, the spending all your money. Dependence, on the other hand, is the physical response to habitual drug use - the incorporation of the drug into your body's normal functioning and the physical withdrawal if you don't get it. A lot of people use the two terms interchangeably, but they refer to very different things. You can be addicted to something without being dependent and you can be dependent on something without being addicted, but with opiates the two phenomena tend to be pretty closely linked.

The TL;DR version is: Yes, it is possible use opiates without becoming addicted or dependent. A lot of people do, but there's no way to predict ahead of time whether it's possible for you personally. You can also become addicted even if you use infrequently enough to avoid physical dependence.

 

[floatingaround]

I've been using heroin and Oxys on average once every 2-3 weeks for almost the past year and I don't have any psychical addiction or mental addiction. I have experienced slight withdrawal from using multiple times within a week, enough to tell me to keep away from regular use.

Weed is my DOC and quitting smoking is my biggest addiction. Without a doubt is the hardest thing for me to give up. I'm not really into meth and other stimulants and opiates probably fall 3rd as a favourite behind benzos.

 

[Crankinit]

I've been using heroin and Oxys on average once every 2-3 weeks for almost the past year and I don't have any psychical addiction or mental addiction. I have experienced slight withdrawal from using multiple times within a week, enough to tell me to keep away from regular use.

Weed is my DOC and quitting smoking is my biggest addiction. Without a doubt is the hardest thing for me to give up. I'm not really into meth and other stimulants and opiates probably fall 3rd as a favourite behind benzos.

"almost a year" isn't really long enough to say anything either way. Everyone I know only started slipping from recreational > habitual use after 2 - 3 years.

I dunno, hope you never do become a habitual user, but just don't think that because it hasn't happened yet you're in the clear - that's where it really gets you, when you think you're in control so you feel safe ramping things up a bit.

 

[drug_mentor]

I have used heroin for ten years and have never been addicted. At one point (only a few months or so) I was using it multiple times per week, I have used it roughly once a week for longer periods. More recently, some years I use heroin once or twice a month, other years I only use it a few times. Sure, it is possible that I could become addicted to heroin in the future, but in the meantime I have had addictions to multiple substances which don't carry the addiction stigma that heroin does.

The truth is that most people I have known to try heroin didn't even like it. Of those who do, a good number have managed to avoid getting hooked.

Don't get me wrong, heroin is a very addictive drug, but the only figures I have been able to chase up are in line with those SixBuckets mentioned, 20-25% who try it become dependent. I wouldn't go around telling people to do heroin, or refuse to acknowledge that it has serious potential for abuse and addiction. But I tend to think that, for whatever reason, the addictive nature of this drug in relation to other drugs tends to be overstated.

I personally find meth and alcohol to be more addictive, and I enjoy heroin as much or more than either of them. I can buy a half weight of heroin, get my nod on one night and then not touch the stash again for a week. If I buy meth, it is a huge struggle to postpone taking it, and whilst I may manage to wait a day or two before I dig in, once I do I will tend to use it until it is gone.

 

[mostly-human]

But I tend to think that, for whatever reason, the addictive nature of this drug in relation to other drugs tends to be overstated.

Obviously, that is your opinion. But - it's definitely not over-stated. I think an important factor with heroin addiction, is just how hard it is to beat; a lot of people may just as easily become addicted to meth, or even weed - but these addictions are much easier to over-come. Heroin addiction, once it sinks its teeth in, is a very difficult beast to shake; similar to kicking smoking.

 

[drug_mentor]

When I said the addictive nature, I was mostly referring to the potential for addiction. It seems to me that heroin is regarded as the drug with the highest addiction potential.

Aside from potential for addiction, GABAergic drugs are demonstrably more physically addictive than heroin when the habit sets in. Withdrawal from these drugs often cause serious seizures and can result in death. Few would suggest that it is not possible to use alcohol infrequently, and alcohol is demonstrably more physically addictive than heroin.

I haven't met many meth addicts who overcame their addiction easily, someone quite close to me has been addicted to meth and heroin in different periods in their life, and it seems to me that they struggled as much with meth as they did with heroin.

I tend to find, for whatever reason, former and current opioid addicts tend to rationalise these drugs as the most difficult to stop, and I don't think that holds up to scrutiny.

This thread is a question about whether it is possible to use heroin recreationally, to me this implies avoiding addiction in the first place. Even if you want to (misguidedly imo) argue that heroin addiction is more difficult to beat than other addictions, I think it is hard to argue that someone is more likely to become addicted to heroin than they are any other highly addictive drug.

 

[Crankinit]

Unless people are actually citing studies there's probably not much point in getting into "X addiction is worse than Y addiction" debate. Just too many factors to take into account.