The Darker Side of Heroin Addiction

There was a time when heroin addiction was worn as a sort of badge. It was a pass to exclusive parties and rarified company. However, if you believe that your addiction makes you heroin chic, you need to know about the darker side of this dangerous disease.

What is Heroin Chic?



The phrase heroin chic was coined in the mid 1990’s and referred to a trend in fashion and celebrities towards a specific look. This was a time of painfully thin models with pale faces, dark red lipstick, and dark circles under the eyes.


This trend came about as a social satire about the increasing abuse of heroin and the effects it had on the people that used it. However, Treatment for heroin addiction recommended.

What Heroin Really Does to you

According to the University of Delaware, heroin use causes a number of negative health effects that create the look that the heroin chic trend was trying to replicate. These include:


  • Severe weight loss and malnutrition
  • Damage to the heart and liver
  • Lung damage
  • HIV and hepatitis


These negative effects cause the skin turn pale, and darkens the skin of the lips and under the eyes. Add to this the skeletal appearance affected by poor nutrition and you are left looking heroin chic. Only in this case, you are dying.

What Ends Addiction?

The only way to stop an addiction to heroin from getting worse is to stop using it. This is easier said than done. Heroin withdrawal is very dangerous and severe. Symptoms include:


  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Cravings
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Anxiety
  • Depression


All of these symptoms are so severe that they put your life in danger. For this reason, you need treatment.

Getting Help


Getting professional treatment to cure for heroin addiction is well known to be the best way to overcome heroin abuse and addiction. Whether you use medications such as methadone, behavioral counseling, or a combination of both, it is important that you get treatment from a facility that specializes in heroin addiction.



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