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Heroin and Morphine are common versions of drugs known as opiates.

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They are better known as narcotics.

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These drugs are based on opium which is an extract from the opium poppy.

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These drugs are highly addictive, and this addiction has been a serious health problem for centuries.

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Morphine is used medically as a pain reliever though heroin is only used recreationally.

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The story of the discovery of how heroin, morphine and other opiates work is a fascinating story

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and leads to the discovery of a new class of neurotransmitters, sometimes called endorphins

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It turns out that all opiates act to mimic these natural neurotransmitters.

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Opiates bind to the to the endorphin receptors and have the same effect on the post-synaptic neuron.

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The effects are found both in the central and peripheral nervous system

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but two regions are very important, the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens.

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Both the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens are important parts of the brains natural reward circuitry.