You never wanted to be a number. Looking back at that day, when you found the bag of white powder in your parents’ room, you didn’t know that moment would lead you to lose your identity. You were young and naïve, opening the bag to smell it, just wondering what it was. Instantly, your lungs turned to fire, your head rushing with dizziness. Everything moved slower, like your arms and legs were stuck in quicksand. The last thing you remember is feeling the carpet on your face, as you closed your eyes. You were no longer a name, a person. You became patient 12, since you were the 12th person brought to the ER for a heroin overdose. But after valiant efforts by medical staff, your number changed to one. One of the five overdose deaths to happen that day in Rockingham County.
In 2020, 25 overdoses per 100,000 New Hampshire residents involved a combination of fentanyl and heroin. The main age range for overdose deaths in New Hampshire is surprisingly equal among those aged 30-59. These numbers solidify that tools and resources are needed in our communities to address addiction, and Addiction Recovery Services is working to bridge that gap. We can address mental health as well as addiction such as heroin use disorder to create recovery paths for our clients. Our blogs provide education and today, we are discussing how to identify heroin.
Identifying Heroin from Other Types of Opioids
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Many illicit substances share the same look and consistency, making it difficult to identify heroin from crushed hydrocodone or powdered fentanyl. Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid, meaning it has been chemically altered from its natural state. There are test kits that can be used to determine if the powder is heroin. To the naked eye, it is not possible to tell if it’s heroin just by looking at it.
Fentanyl has been on the rise in the United States and is often mixed with heroin. While fentanyl test strips exist, they are currently illegal in the state of New Hampshire. Addiction Recovery Services supports personal choice and harm-reduction models. In the future, seeing fentanyl test strips legalized can help reduce accidental overdoses throughout the state and country.
The Different Colors of Heroin
Heroin typically comes in a powder form or a tar-like form known as black tar heroin. Powdered heroin ranges in color from white to off-white or tan to brown. Black tar heroin refers to the sticky, tar-like substance, and can look similar to chewed tobacco. When heroin is in powder form, it is typically snorted or injected, while black tar heroin is smoked or injected. Signs of heroin addiction can include seeing paraphernalia hidden in belongings. Spoons, needles, syringes, and rubber bands or strings are all indicators of possible heroin use.
Different Packaging of Heroin
Black tar heroin comes wrapped in plastic, looking similar to laundry detergent or dishwasher pods. Different types of packaging exist for heroin, including cut balloons, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, and usually are filled with small amounts. The package is used to protect the heroin from moisture and prevent spilling.
When heroin is being smuggled, it is packaged in rubber or latex from gloves and condoms. The people smuggling the heroin can hide it within their bodies or in storage compartments hidden in suitcases and travel bags. This helps keep the product undetected and ready to be passed to dealers.
Slang terms for Heroin
Heroin can go by many names on the street. Some of the most common include:
- Horse
- H
- Smack
- Black Dragon
- Black Tar
- Dope
- Chiva
Why Identification of Heroin Matters
Being able to identify heroin is important in protecting yourself or your loved one. Dealers have no organization putting regulations in place, and they are free to do what they please. If your regular dealer runs out of heroin and decides to sell you cocaine instead, he does not have to tell you the difference. This can be especially dangerous as cocaine is a stimulant, and by taking it thinking it is heroin, it is likely you’ll have an adverse reaction or even overdose.
If you discover your loved one overdosing, knowing that the substance is heroin can help first responders provide the most effective treatment. This saves valuable time to prevent permanent damage from happening. Recognizing the side effects of heroin use can help you address your loved one before an overdose occurs and confirm that opioids are being used.
Get Treatment for Heroin Addiction in New Hampshire
One of the main reasons people avoid treatment is heroin withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms are unpleasant, and the mental toll it can take keeps the person coming back to heroin. The goal of heroin addiction treatment is to manage this stage to make withdrawal less uncomfortable, then dive into the root causes of addiction. This means therapy in individual and group settings, coping skill development, and life skill classes to encourage utilizing strengths in everyday life.
If you or someone you love is grappling with life and heroin use, seeking treatment can restore balance to the mind and body. At Addiction Recovery Services, our intensive outpatient program gives you the flexibility to work, while providing quality treatment and therapy. We are proud to offer medication-assisted treatment to our clients to promote harm reduction. You are a person – not a heroin use disorder – and you deserve respect and freedom to make choices for yourself. Give us a call today at 978-228-5853 to learn more about our values and program options.
FAQs About the Identification of Heroin
How do you identify a drug?
There are different test kits that can identify man-made substances based on chemical reactions. Also, fentanyl test strips can detect if a substance has the presence of fentanyl.
Does heroin show up in a drug test?
Heroin can show up in a standard drug test 12-24 hours after the last use. In hair follicle tests, it can create a positive result even after 3 months since the last use.
What are the markers for heroin?
A common marker for heroin is the type of package used.