Research: Use and Effects of Heroin

Our original idea was to use cocaine in our narrative however we decided heroin would be a better alternative due to it being less expensive and more addictive. It is also more commonly used by those from the working class. As a group, we knew little about the use and effects of heroin and I have therefore researched the basic facts around how the drug is used and the effects it has on those using it. 

Below is a list of the things I have learnt:

• Heroin is a drug made from morphine extracted from the opium poppy
• Forms of heroin are often used for medical reasons as an extremely strong painkiller. It is often used to relax the user as a small dose gives them a feeling of warmth and well-being and if taken in bigger doses, it can make you sleepy and very relaxed.
• If a person has never taken heroin before, their first dose cause dizziness and vomiting.
• Heroin is very addictive and it only takes a few uses to become dependent on the drug.
• The effects usually last a few hours.

Short-term side effects:

• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Constricted (small) pupils
• Sudden changes in behavior or actions
• Disorientation
• Cycles of hyper alertness followed by suddenly nodding off
• Droopy appearance, as if extremities are heavy

Behavior changes in heroin users:

• deceptive behavior (eg. lying)
• avoiding eye contact
• increased amount of sleep
• slurred speech
• performance at work/school declines
• decrease in attention to hygiene and physical appearance
• lack of motivation
• withdrawal from friends and family
• lack of interest in hobbies
• wearing long clothes to hide needle marks

The effects and behavioral changes will be fairly easy to film for our trailer and they work with our narrative.

In our filming, we used sugar to mimic the appearance of powder heroin and syrup to show it when melted. We then used oil in a needle originally used for printer ink refills. These shots looked convincing and we shot them extremely close up to capture the detail and ensure the audience can recognise the drug.