Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious problem in America. Current estimates suggest that nearly 600,000 people need treatment for heroin addiction. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction. When posed the question, “Who’s using heroin?” the answer may not be what one would expect. An epidemic of heroin use over the past five years crosses generational, socioeconomic and geographic boundaries to plague all areas of American culture. Heroin, once a drug primarily associated with aging inner-city addicts, has become popular among suburban and rural populations, and is used by adults and adolescents. Facts about how heroin is used covers inhalation, injection, smoking, and other means such as oral ingestion. In the past, heroin was primarily used by injection. Today users are ingesting heroin in other ways which are just a dangerous and deadly. One of the most important facts about heroin is that using this drug inevitably leads to drug addiction. Heroin addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the user’s brain. Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence, which are also powerful motivating factors for compulsive use and abuse. | 
