What would you say to an 18 year old wanting to use heroin? My poisons are weed, E, and alcohol. But ever since I rolled for the first time, I've found myself wanting to try harder and harder drugs. So...what do you think? Should I try heroin or meth? Or are those two worlds just way too dangerous to get myself mixed up in? In other words, based on your experience with both or one of the two drugs, what would you say to someone wanting to try one of them?
Well, I can't speak for meth, 'cuz that's one that I know I'd like way too much

. But, I started shooting heroin (I've NEVER smoked/snorted, only IV'ed) a little after I turned 18, did it daily for 10 months (mainly for pain relief, but it was also fun

), and then stopped when I decided I didn't like it enough to justify the side effects, went through a couple weeks of cold turkey withdrawal, and haven't done it for about 6 weeks. Lots of people said "don't do it, it's SOOO good, but the withdrawals are so awful you won't ever be able to get off of it, and you'll end up spending all your money on it and it will ruin your life." None of this happened. It wasn't nearly as great as everyone said, and I expected the withdrawals to be ten times worse than they actually were. I was completely functional while doing H (college freshman with a 3.8 GPA, friends and boyfriend, part-time job, volunteer work, etc.), and nobody ever found out. Also, it was a pretty cheap drug (the most I ever did was maybe 3/4 of a bag daily). It's certainly not something I regret, and I'll do it occasionally in the future.
That being said, I also met a lot of people that had totally ruined their lives over dope, and it can be very addicting. If you're considering heroin and you haven't done any other pharmaceutical opiates/opioids, I'd strongly suggest trying those before heroin. If someone LOVES hydrocodone, then heroin probably is a bad idea. Weirdly enough, heroin was my first illegal drug :D. However, I'd been prescribed pretty much every single narcotic painkiller that exists (and I wasn't really using them recreationally, just for pain relief), including OxyContin, Dilaudid, Opana, and Fentanyl patches. Also, I've been given IV hydromorphone, morphine, Fentanyl, and Demerol in the ER/hospital since I was 14. I never saw (and still can't) see why people go crazy over opiates, and think they're overrated, but that's just my opinion. I have always loved Rx stimulants & downers/benzos/alcohol way more than opiates, and the latter is definitely not my DOC. Like, I absolutely love Adderall and Dexedrine, so I'll never do meth. If you don't really care for opiates in general, and have done some pretty strong ones, you're a lot less likely to get addicted to heroin, but it's also not as fun. Whatever you do, make sure you've done lots of research first, and stay safe

.
Oh and also: I know maybe 5 or 6 meth addicts, and they all look and act completely normal, not like something off of "The Faces of Meth" website. I also know people that tried meth once, hated it, or do it once a month without ruining their lives. But I've also seen people going through meth psychosis and it's horrifying. Even if you don't end up with methface and no teeth, meth is still an extremely neurotoxic drug that can ruin your brain (and your body, too). Conversely, heroin very similar to natural endorphins, as opiates and endorphins both act on the same receptor. Because of this, heroin is VERY gentle on one's brain and body, and kills ZERO brain cells as it is not the least bit neurotoxic. It can ruin your life if you're addicted, but it will not destroy brain tissue, or your body (unless you don't practice vein care/hygiene and contract Hep C or HIV). Withdrawal feels excruciating, but it doesn't do any damage to your body, and it will not kill you like alcohol/CNS depressant withdrawal-induced delirium tremens can. There is a ton of inaccurate information about heroin that is mainly propagated by the DEA and Just Say No people, but truthfully, opiates are one of the safest drugs. I'm not saying they're not addicting, but once you quit, there is no lasting damage done to the body, unless you've collapsed your veins. The harm associated with heroin isn't due to the drug, but it's illegal status and the lifestyle that often accompanies it.