The rise in heroin deaths in the nation ought to be raising eyebrows and causing an alarm. Young and old alike are overdosing on heroin despite many efforts to help addicts get off such drugs. Are you or a loved one struggling with heroin addiction?

It’s time to be completely open about drug abuse and how it snuffs life out of good people prematurely. It’s time to see the numbers of drug addicts decrease. Make a decision today to take the leap to freedom.

Heroin Kills

It’s just the plain, devastating truth. In fact, the use of heroin has really skyrocketed over the years and this increase has many people on high alert as more and more people are dying from overdose. For those who might not be too familiar with heroin, it is an opioid drug synthesized using morphine, a substance isolated from the seed pod of the opium poppy plant. This drug is normally found in the form of a brown or white powder or it may also be found in the form of a dark sticky compound referred to as black tar heroin. It’s available in many parts of America.

• In 2011, approximately 4.2 million American citizens above 12 years had at one point used heroin in their lives.
• Statistics show that about 23 percent of individuals who try heroin develop a dependence on it.
• Nearly 50 percent of youths who use heroin intravenously interviewed in three studies said they began abusing prescription opioids, or pain pills, prior to beginning to use heroin.

They started out somewhat on a small “drug user” scale and then escalated into more of the “tough stuff”. Some users opt for heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get as compared to prescription opioids. These statistics do not warrant this problem to be regarded as an epidemic, but it is certainly headed in that direction.

The Beginning of an Epidemic

First time users are young

The average age for first time users has reduced to just 23 years. Most heroin users begin as OxyContin addicts and the problem is that they are unable to satisfy their cravings because they simply cannot afford it. Heroin gives them the same high, but at a small fraction of what they would spend on prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin. Part of the vindication for this is the current crackdown targeting prescription pill abuse nationwide, as this has made them more difficult and very expensive to get.

Heroin tends to be readily available

Another reason for the surge in heroin use is its availability. When users cannot get oxycodone, they opt for heroin because it’s literally everywhere. College students simply pass it out for free and gradually raise the price as somebody gets more and more hooked to the drug. Heroin is very potent and this makes it a popular substitute for prescription drugs. Since there is no method of regulating its dosage, heroin can cause new users to overdose accidentally.

However, in as much as the drug’s potency should act as a deterrent, some users are drawn by this attribute. Finally, heroine is hard a very hard addiction to kick. Phillip Seymour Hoffman fought heroin addiction for more than 23 years. Unfortunately, he slipped back and reverted to prescription pills before going back to heroin. As you probably know, he died of an overdose. The present level of heroin abuse rival that witnessed in the 70s, however, one major difference is that today’s users are younger and increasingly affluent.

Are you struggling with a heroin addiction? Is a loved one caught in the grips of addiction? If so, it’s time to make a decision to stop. Reach out for help and begin on a new path; a path that leads to happiness instead of darkness and despair. Contact a substance abuse professional or rehab today and ask for help. You deserve a life free from addiction. You deserve a life of freedom, peace, and joy. May today be the day you draw a line in the sand and never look back.

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