Are Heroin Addicts Violent?
Are people who have heroin use disorders violent? The fast answer to this common question is both yes and no, because of direct and indirect reasons.
Whether or not people who use heroin are violent depends on many different factors including personal characteristics, what their drug-seeking behaviors look like and how the drug impacts their brain. The following provides a more in-depth answer to the commonly searched question, “Are heroin addicts violent?”

When someone takes heroin, dopamine is released in a very complex manner in multiple areas of the brain. All of this interacts with the reward centers of the brain, and this is why people continue to abuse heroin. They have experienced reward in the form of euphoria, and so the brain then views heroin use as something positive that should be repeated.
However, as this continues, heroin use becomes a compulsive habit. Because of the compulsion to continue using heroin, violence can occur.
As a heroin addiction builds and a person develops a tolerance to the drug, they need more of it to achieve the desired effects. Most people who are addicted to drugs experience money problems because of excessive spending on drugs. When this happens, a person may borrow money from friends and family, and in many cases, steal it. People who are addicted to heroin may also lose their job because of their addiction, making them even more desperate for money.
Once someone on heroin has exhausted other routes of obtaining money to supply themselves with drugs, they may begin participating in violent acts to get money, including robbery. They may also exhibit violent behaviors toward people they know, including friends and family, as a way to get money to buy more heroin.
Another way to answer the questions, “Are heroin addicts violent?” and “Are heroin users violent?” is to look at how the drug impairs mental function, both when the person is on it and also when they’re not. A person may not necessarily be violent when they’re on heroin, but because of the way it reduces mental inhibitions and impairs judgment, they could exhibit violent behaviors.
To sum up the answer to the questions, “Are heroin addicts violent?” and “Are heroin users violent?” it’s yes in some cases, but usually in an indirect way. Heroin itself might not necessarily make someone violent, but the effects of addiction and drug-seeking behaviors, as well as clouded judgement, can lead to violent behaviors. Additionally, when someone experiences withdrawal, particularly if they experience psychosis, they may behave irrationally.
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