A Resurgence of Heroin Abuse

The number of people who say they have used heroin in the past year jumped approximately 53.5% to 620,000 from 2002 to 2011.”

– Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

A few short months of abuse was all it took before the deadly effects of heroin claimed the life of 20-year-old Jeremiah Lyman.

It was not long after graduating from High School that Lyman began to abuse prescription pain relievers. Like many addicts, the high he got from prescription drugs reached its limit and drove him to try heroin.

Long considered an inner-city drug, heroin is shedding its stereotype and invading areas where it was once rare. Extremely popular in the 60’s and 70’s heroin abuse is back on the rise and setting an alarming trend.

But what is causing its reemergence and newfound popularity? Some theories are:

• Today’s heroin is purer than that of the past which allows users to easily hid their habit because they can snort or smoke the drug as an alternative to injecting the drug.
• At as little as five dollars a high, it is much cheaper than other drugs.
• It delivers much of the same effects that legal painkillers such as Oxycontin do.
• It has become increasingly more available as government efforts have tightened the illicit supply of prescription pain relievers.

With the ongoing media coverage surrounding prescription pain reliever abuse and “designer drugs,” such as bath salts, the resurgence of heroin abuse is running the risk of getting dangerously overlooked. Despite its “cheap high” the heroin sold today generally is more pure and potent than varieties of the past and users are at a huge risk of overdose.

To say it’s on the rise is an understatement.”

-Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider

Adding to the perilous nature of the drug is its purity can change enormously from one batch to the next. Additionally dealers may “cut” or add other chemicals to the heroin as a way to deliver a stronger high and drive up demand, making the drug that much more deadly.

With the ability to shut down an individual’s motor skills and adversely affect their heart rate and breathing, heroin is a drug that is leading to numerous overdoses and deaths.

The resurgence of Heroin is not something that should be taken lightly. If you or someone you love is abusing heroin, or any drug, don’t hesitate to seek proper drug rehab treatment. There is always hope for recovery!

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