Heroin and other opiates

'80% of heroin users inject with a friend. Which is weird. Because 80% of all overdose victims found by paramedics are alone.'

The most notorious of all the illegal drugs, surrounded by a host of myths and horror stories, heroin addicts, along with crack users, are the most stigmatised of all drug users. What is the truth of heroin and opiate addiction? Why do people become addicted to such a notoriously dangerous drug? Is there a way to minimise its harm, and how do we support people addicted to opiates?

Are all opiates physically addictive?
What are the withdrawal symptoms and are they dangerous?
Health risks associated with opiate use.
What is maintenance prescribing and why is it important?
Do you need to do an inpatient detox to become drug free?
What medications are used to support people ceasing their opiate use, and what is the difference between them?
How is heroin taken, and are some ways safer than others?
What is the link between opiate addiction and emotional turmoil?
Heroin; morphine; dicanol; oxycontin; fentanyl; methadone. There are many types of opiates. Are some more dangerous than others?
What other substances are commonly used with opiates and why? Which combinations are particularly dangerous?
A history of opiates and their medical uses.
How do we support someone seeking to beat and opiate addiction, and what sort of help might they require?

This workshop will give you a clear understanding of the reasons behind a great deal of opiate addiction, how opiates work, and some of the difficulties people have in trying to cease their opiate use. This will enable you to work with opiate users with both confidence and compassion, and arm you with the knowledge to help support the treatment naive to enter structured treatment.

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