If you are reading this, you probably know someone who is addicted to drugs or you might be on your way to addiction. Drugs have been part of our culture since the middle of the last century. They became popular in the 60’s through the music industry and the media. Today, heroin is taking a staggering toll on our suburban population. Heroin use is now found in what we thought were the safest neighborhoods. This is a frightening thought because we know that heroin is one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs on the illegal market.
Statistics show that about 2.5 million Americans are addicted to opioids. 79% of males die from an overdose of opioids: 87% are white, 66.6% are between the ages of 25 and 44 years of age, and 65 % of the addicts today trace their addiction to the start of a prescription medication. Many people, unfortunately, get addicted to heroin when the pain from an injury brings them to their doctor. Doctors have been prescribing medications like Vicodin, Oxycotin and Percocet, which are basically opioids. When you take these drugs, they activate the region of your brain that is responsible for producing the pleasant sensation of “reward” and the part of the brain that produces physical dependence. Once the doctor stops prescribing the medications people either try to find another doctor who will prescribe the pills or take to the streets to find heroin because heroin gives a similar high. In addition, heroin is, unfortunately, cheaper and easier to get than prescription drugs. Heroin runs about $4.00 – $7.00 per bag as compared to about $30.00 per each prescription pill.
The low cost is not a positive when you find out (usually too late) that heroin addiction can also lead to the loss of your friends, family, job, arrests and death. Heroin is one of the drugs most frequently involved in drug abuse deaths, violence and crime. Short-term effects include; clouded mental functioning, nausea, and vomiting. Heart functions slow down and breathing is severely slowed, sometimes to the point of death. Some long term effects of heroin include scarred or collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the blood vessels, heart valves, abscesses, lung complications, risk of AIDS, hepatitis (a liver disease) and death from overdose.
Most heroine comes to the US from either Mexico or Columbia. It has a lot of street names: horse, smack, H, skog, junk brown sugar or brown tar. It can be up to 70 – 90% pure, which means it can now be smoked and not necessarily injected or snorted as in the past. When it gets to the States, some dealers cut heroin with fentanyl, which is a synthetic narcotic. It is 80 – 400 times stronger than heroin and can KILL!!
Are you or someone you know addicted to heroin? BlueCrest Recovery Center is located in Woodland Park, New Jersey. We treat not only the addiction but also the whole person. Call today at 888.292.9652 and get the help you or your loved one deserves.
