Characteristics and Patterns of use among Regular Heroin Sniffers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to characterize persons who sniff heroin by examining their experiences prior to first heroin use, experiences at first use, current drug use patterns, and factors associated with progression to the daily use of heroin. Relatively little has been published about the lives and career trajectories of heroin sniffers who have little or no history of drug injection. A sample of 250 African-American, Hispanic/Latino, and non-Hispanic White men and women who sniffed heroin were interviewed for this study. Most people first sniffed heroin in a social setting where heroin use was not preplanned. Heroin sniffing has become a sustained pattern of use for many of these users; the majority have progressed to daily sniffing of heroin and are polydrug users for whom crack is an important substance; and heroin sniffers have experienced a range of life and health problems including a high prevalence of HIV.