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BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug 21, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Heroin addicts trying to kick the habit grieve their lost "relationship" with the needles they use to inject the drug, says a University of Buffalo study.
This intense personal connection with the needle, which some addicts described as a "love affair," may be a factor in the high relapse rate among recovering addicts, according to the study's principal investigator Davina Moss.
For the study, Moss interviewed 12 heroin addicts in a detoxification facility and each described the intense grief experienced while away from the drug and great sorrow for personal losses resulting from the addiction.
"I was surprised to hear the addicts in the study describe their love for the needle," Moss says. "This has not been reported before."
The addicts described a feeling of "oneness" with the needle, how they would caress the needle, and how they would never forget their first time using the needle -- much like someone would describe a first love, according to Moss.
Recovering heroin addicts also grieve losing the "heroine lifestyle," said Moss.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
