Black tar heroin is highly addictive and can be used in a way that leads to severe addiction, painful withdrawal, fatal overdose, and multiple health problems. It gets its name from its appearance as a brown or dark black substance with a thick, sticky consistency resembling roofing tar. It may also be hard and look like a chunk of coal. Unlike white, powdered heroin, this form is unrefined.
Comprehensive treatment for heroin addiction to the drug often includes both heroin detox and rehab. By receiving physical and psychological addiction treatment, a person has a better chance of obtaining long-term sobriety. To learn more about black tar heroin addiction treatment options, call Vertava Health today at 844.470.0410.
Black Tar Heroin Use Signs and Symptoms
Heroin is a highly potent opioid drug, and because of this, a person may have an intense craving to use it after only trying it once. When use becomes compulsive, many individuals continue to use even after it begins hurting them physically or mentally.
As black tar heroin use accelerates into addiction, the quality of a person’s life can rapidly go downhill. A person will often ignore other responsibilities in their life, such as those that regard their family, relationships, or job.
Once a person is addicted, they will likely have the following signs and symptoms:
- Tolerance: When a person takes their normal dose, they do not feel the pleasurable effects they seek. This often leads to higher dosing.
- Dependence: Regular use causes the body to become reliant on black tar heroin, and without it, the body cannot function normally.
- Withdrawal: A person who is dependent will likely experience uncomfortable and even painful withdrawal symptoms if they quit cold turkey.
Black Tar Heroin Short-Term Effects
Though a person may smoke black tar heroin, impure heroin is commonly dissolved and diluted for injection. They may also inject it into a vein, into a muscle, or under the skin. Due to its potency, black tar heroin’s effects occur quite rapidly, especially if the person injects it.
As these feel-good effects set in, a person may also experience the following short-term effects of black tar heroin:
- Clouded thoughts
- Dry mouth
- Intense itching
- Legs and arms feel heavy
- Nausea and vomiting
- Warm, flushed skin
Black Tar Heroin Long-Term Effects
Using black tar heroin only once can be dangerous. However, the long-term effects it produces on the brain and body can be severe. The physical and mental long-term effects of black tar heroin include:
- Addiction
- Brain damage
- Depression
- Hormonal problems
- Insomnia
- Overdose
- Sexual dysfunction (for men)
Black tar heroin can make a person’s health decline and immune system weaken. Paired with the respiratory depression that accompanies heroin use, these states may lead to tuberculosis and certain types of pneumonia.
Black Tar Heroin Overdose Signs And Symptoms
While overdoses aren’t always fatal, they have the potential to be. The first dose of this potent drug may cause an overdose, or an addicted person may overdose on it after abusing it for many years.
Signs and symptoms of a black tar heroin overdose include:
- Constipation
- Delirium
- Drowsiness
- Faint heartbeat
- Intestinal or stomach spasms
- Low blood pressure
- Pinpoint pupils
- Tongue discoloration
Calling emergency medical services as soon as a heroin overdose is suspected could save a life. If administered soon enough, the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan (naloxone) could reverse an overdose before it becomes fatal.
Black Tar Heroin Withdrawal And Detox Programs
The aim of a medical detox program is to stabilize a person while their body begins to cleanse the drug from its system. In order to help ensure that a person is as safe and as comfortable as possible, 24-hour care and supervision are provided.
Medications can be a vital component of a detox program. Medications that contain buprenorphine, such as Suboxone, work to reduce withdrawal symptoms, so that person can begin preparing for the next stage of treatment. The use of medications is frequently paired with behavioral therapies to help a person maintain abstinence from black tar heroin.
Finding A Black Tar Heroin Drug Rehab Program
While outpatient treatment for black tar heroin addiction does exist, a residential or inpatient program is often recommended due to how severe the addiction can be.
An inpatient drug rehab program treats psychological addiction. Residential treatment programs provide a higher level of support for addiction’s emotional, mental, behavioral, and social elements.
Counseling and behavioral therapies, such as dialectical behavioral therapy, can help a person manage their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in a healthy and positive way.
The best residential treatment programs offer individualized treatment that is built around each client’s needs. When rehab is tailored to a client’s specific needs and recovery goals, they have a better chance of building long-lasting sobriety.
Seek Treatment at Vertava Health Today
If you or someone you know is struggling with black tar heroin addiction, don’t hesitate to seek help. Vertava Health can provide a variety of treatment options so that you can find the program that best suits your needs. We offer a compassionate and non-judgmental environment where you can feel safe and secure while you work on your recovery. We provide a wide range of addiction treatment programs that we tailor to the needs of our clients. Our therapeutic programs include:
- Couples therapy
- Family therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Animal-assisted therapy
- Adventure and wilderness therapy
We’re here to help you get your life back on track. Reach out to Vertava Health today for information on black tar heroin addiction and treatment options. Contact us at 844.470.0410 today and let us help you find the best treatment program for you or your loved one.
