16. Increase in heroin use among young people

By Tom O'Connell

The heroin epidemic is here, as predicted several years ago when the cocaine epidemic was at its height and taking its toll. The experts said then that cocaine use would lessen and be followed by a resurgence in the use of heroin. And they were right.

Treatment professionals at Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota say heroin is gaining in popularity in cities and suburbs throughout the country. In one Texas suburb, 11 teenagers died of heroin overdoses last year. Nationally, for youths 12 to 17, the number of incidents of first-time heroin use has increased fourfold from the '80s to the present..

Lois Porcelain, who is now a chemical dependency counselor at Hazelden, told some of her own story in a recent issue of the newsletter "Hazelden Voice." She was once a heroin addict herself, and describes her history as a fairly typical junkie's journey. Cigarettes at age 11. Pot on a daily basis at 14. Cocaine and acid at 15. Heroin at 16.

At age 16, after snorting the white powder at a concert "by accident," Porcelain rushed to the bathroom, got sick, and felt dizzy and "out of it." However, she also remembers "having this very pleasant feeling and liking it very much." Later she used  heroin to come down off cocaine, and did "speedballs," a mixture of heroin and cocaine.

Using heroin to increase pleasure and reduce pain, she was habitually late for work, and she also stole from her parents and coworkers to support her habit. Eventually, after intervention by her family, she entered treatment and now she's a grateful recovering person whose personal experience is being used to help others who are at risk.

Former heroin addicts describe heroin as a seductive drug that will "steal your soul." Also, many users describe heroin as an unending sexual high. Porcelain recalls, "I had fallen in love with the ritual and the exciting and dangerous lifestyle."

Whether heroin is injected, sniffed, snorted or smoked, after the initial "rush" users have flushed skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities. They may also experience nausea, vomiting and severe itching. Then they grow drowsy for several hours.

Experts at Hazelden Foundation say heroin affects the central nervous system and clouds mental functions. The heart and lungs slow down dangerously, and sometimes to the point of death. In withdrawal, heroin addicts have symptoms of restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, and cold flashes with goose bumps. Withdrawal is described  by addicts as "physical hell."

Medical consequences include scarred and collapsed veins; clogging of blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys or brain; bacterial infections of blood vessels and heart valves; soft-tissue infections; and liver or kidney disease. Immune reactions can trigger arthritis, and sharing needles can lead to hepatitis B and C and HIV infections.

Heroin addiction is very bad news. But there's some good news too. With the right kind of prolonged inpatient and outpatient treatment, and participation in Narcotics Anonymous, recovery is possible. For educational materials on heroin addiction, call Hazelden Foundation at 1-800-328-9000. And at the local level check with your Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence for insights and information on this subject.

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