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Heroin Hurdles
By Kate Oczypok
Julie* started shooting up heroin after her best friend’s baby passed away. It affected her in a way she’d never thought would happen. “I’ve never been able to get the look in her eyes out of my mind . . . The father of the baby gave me some Valium to calm me down,” she said. “I loved the way I felt that night, even through the stress and pain; the next day I went out looking for a bag of gear [heroin].”
Heroin is processed from morphine, a substance that is extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. Some street names for heroin besides “gear” are “smack” and “H.” Usually the drug is a white or brown powder.
The short-term effects of heroin abuse often begin with a feeling of euphoria upon first injection, and then the user becomes what many call “on the nod,” which means that they get very sleepy. Then their mental abilities decline.
Chronic (or long-term) users of heroin experience even more severe effects. They can have infections in their heart valves and lining, liver disease, and such other complications as pneumonia, because heroin affects a user’s respiratory system. Heroin is also illegal, so there are major risks to your safety, especially if you become a drug dealer, as Julie did.
Heroin is also very dangerous because the abuser has to use more heroin to get the effect they want. This is called tolerance. As more of the drug is used, the abuser becomes addicted. Heroin is so addictive that it can destroy your life. Some people drop out of school; others neglect the most important people in their lives, their families; and some even lose their jobs.
Some people take heroin to feel better. Anna started shooting up after a friend told her that it would help lessen her headaches and pain from the epileptic seizures she’d suffered since she was a teenager.
“I had a friend who sold it,” she said. “He said, ‘Anna I have something that will take the pain away.’ That was my first time; I’d say he wasn’t much of a friend.”
Anna’s husband had also been a heroin addict for years. Even though she knew what he struggled with, she still continued to use heroin. When she and her husband got paid, they always saw it as a good day, because they could go and buy more drugs. Even though those days seemed great at first, Anna and her husband began to fight. The fact that they were addicted made them start distrusting each other. Anna didn’t want to send him out with money for drugs, because she was afraid that he would take more than his fair share.
Heroin is the most widely used and the most addictive of all opiates. According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 3.8 million Americans aged 12 and older reported trying heroin at least once during their lifetime. This represents 1.5 percent of the population aged 12 or older.
Students were surveyed as part of the 2007 Monitoring the Future Study, and 1.3 percent of eighth graders and 1.5 percent of tenth and twelfth graders reported a lifetime use of heroin. Perhaps what’s most alarming is that 12.6 percent of eighth graders, 17.3 percent of tenth graders and 29.7 percent of twelfth graders surveyed in 2007 reported that heroin was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain.
You may wonder where the U.S. gets its heroin supply. It comes from foreign sources in South America, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Southwest Asia. Interestingly enough, Afghanistan produced more than 90 percent of the world’s largest opium poppy. Mexico is definitely not far behind, though.
It is possible to overcome your heroin addiction if you have one. Once the user goes through “withdrawal” they can be well on the road to recovery. Withdrawal produces such symptoms as insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, and cold flashes. Most of the symptoms happen two to three days after the last dose, and stop after about a week. Sudden withdrawal can sometimes be fatal.
Julie overcame her heroin addiction through rehab. Her rehab included meetings, parenting groups, exercise, and lots of one-on-one work with key workers. She fell into a successful routine, and it made her examine why she’d made her choices in the first place.
Anna also recovered from her heroin addiction. She at first tried to quit “cold turkey,” but she had shakes, and began to lose muscle control. After realizing the potentially deadly effects of this, Anna decided to try methadone, a type of drug that blocks the effects of heroin, and eliminates withdrawal symptoms. Anna also joined a family counseling program, Focus on Families, with her husband. She’s been off heroin for two years, and is now looking to get off methadone.
Heroin is a very dangerous drug, and as evident from these stories, no one wants to ruin their lives by getting involved with this drug. It’s important to just say no, and to help those involved with the drug get the help they need to take back control of their lives.
* Names have been changed.
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