Death from heroin addiction is rampant, according to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. It has increased sharply based on the reported death certificates from various states. In fact, from 2010 to 2012, the overall death toll of heroin-related deaths doubled. The rising number of prescription and rates of opioids addiction and the uncontrolled supply of heroin trigger the increasing rates of heroin addiction.
One police officer Bill Collins said that he has witnessed a number of instances of heroin overdose. He claimed that it could go to as many as two to three victims in a single hour. He said that it is like a "miracle drug": a few seconds after passing out, they tend to forget about everything that happened. That is why, he would always tell survivors how lucky they are to be alive. But then, they tend to do it again. He further added that the drug is the root cause of all the troubles they have. For instance, property-related crimes such as stealing and robberies are all associated with heroin abuse.
Today, people are treating heroin addiction both as a disease and a public crisis in need of attention. And most want to put an end or eradicate the stigma of addiction. In fact, one mom, Nancy Vinocur, wrote through her son's obituary in order to try to reach out to other people and to help those people, especially young people, who are addicted. "We thought if we would help one more person, one more addict, it would be worth it," she said. Another mother, Barbara Theodosiou, said, "...the only way it will change is to break our silence." She is the founder a Facebook online community The Addict's Mom with the aim of telling others to "share without shame." She claimed to have nearly 40,000 members across the State who, at the same time, dreamed of eliminating the addiction stigma.
However, values should always start at home. An open drug discussion with kids as suggested by Larry Litras of Carrier Clinic is encouraged to parents. It should be "honest and straight-forward," she said. Furthermore, she added that it has to start early as discussing with teenagers can seem to be an "uphill climb." Most kids use drugs because of social pressure or to feel complete and competent, "we want our kids to feel self-confident before they start using drugs, so they don't need to use them," she said.
