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| Heroin-The Up and Coming Drug Retrieved from http://narconon.ca/blog/heroin-addiction/ signs-concerned-heroin-addiction.html |
The prevalence of heroin abuse has spiked in recent years as it becomes more wide spread on the streets. Heroin is "an opioid drug that is synthesized from morphine... usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as 'black tar heroin'" that can be snorted, smoked or injected and can lead to addiction (NIH 2013). Many substance abusers are switching from pain killers to heroin because it is cheaper and more easily accessible. "Drugs like Oxycontin sell for up to $40 dollars a pill on the street, while heroin sells for about $10" (Miller, 2012). The staggering difference in price is an example of why many people are converting heroin.
According to the Michigan Bureau of Substance Abuse and Addiction Services, "680 people died from heroin overdoses in Michigan last year" (Miller, 2013). These statistics should not be taken lightly because the younger population is admitting to trying this drug. "In 2011, 4.2 million Americans aged 12 or older (or 1.6 percent) had used heroin at least once in their lives" (NIH, 2013). As frequent users resort to injecting the drug to receive the "initial rush, an intense feeling of pleasure" (Addiction), they are putting themselves at higher risk for HIV and hepatitis C if they are sharing needles. In Buffalo, New York, they are seeing an "increase in Hepatitis C and they believe the cause is used needles passed between heroin users" (Guggenmos, 2013). This creates more problems for the community then just the substance abuse taking place.
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| Heroin overdoses in 2010 Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/1652136/infographic-day-americasgrowing-heroin-problem |
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| The parallel relationship between opiate prescriptions and the use of heroin. Retrieved from http://www.twincities.com/ci_19267582 |
The first step in reducing substance abuse in America is decreasing the amount of prescription drugs that are prescribed. Prescription pills have been labeled as the gateway drug to harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Teenagers begin with taking their parents medication and move on from that point. There is a parallel relationship between the prescribing a prescription drugs and heroin use over the last decade. "Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are state-run electronic databases used to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled prescription drugs to patients" (CDC, 2013). Though these programs are in place, more of an effort should be put forth by prescriber's to more subjectively prescribe these medications. The less prevalent the prescriptions are in medicine cabinets, the lower the chance teenagers will be able to get ahold of them. This could prevent them from moving on to heroin or other drugs.
These statistics bring into question, why is it becoming socially acceptable to inject/snort/smoke heroin when the risks far out weight the benefits; when there are not benefits. Personally, I have known 4 people from my childhood who have died from heroin overdoses; and my hometown is not a large place. This epidemic has been in the local newspaper for months now, but people seem to be ignoring the danger of the drug. The "Just Say No" to drug concept that students are taught is becoming none existent in the school system with the cancellation of D.A.R.E. program in public facilities. Maybe the system is failing the future generations by not educating them accordingly.
Nurses are at the front lines of educating patients on addiction and treatment facilities if they feel like they are ready for help or just suggesting it to them to plant the seed. Some treatment facilities in Michigan include Brighton Recovery Center (Brighton), Harbor Light (Salvation Army) or Dawn Farms (Ypsilanti) to name a few. Substance abuse has reached an all time high in the United States. Nurses can give insight and compassion to people who need help and guidance.
Great post, Shannon. I was shocked by the statistics involving heroin use; it is quite prevalent. You touched on a great point when you noted the "street value" of heroin versus prescription pain killers. People are much more likely to spend $10 rather than $40. This also speaks to why so many are prescription pain medication seekers, as they can sell their medications for a hefty profit. You note the possibility of prescribing less pain medications, and I ponder if this will work. So many people have become dependent on them, and I wonder if they lose their prescriptions if they will turn to the cheap and accessible heroin. Would writing less prescriptions lead to more heroin usage? Maybe, but maybe not. It would be an intriguing study.
ReplyDeleteShannon great blog. This is a very interesting topic that needs to be addressed not only on a national level but on an individual level also. The government can try to regulate and put out campaigns to urge people to be careful but I think individuals can help a lot. When prescriping highly addictive narcotics, how much education is the prescriber doing besides saying "be careful this drug is highly addictive." How does the prescriber follow up with the patient they prescribed the narcotic to and how do they keep the lines of communication open and continue to check in on the patients in regards to addiction? If we had more prescribers properly educating patients, properly prescribing and properly following up would we have less people becoming addicted? We may never know, but preventing addiction and helping those that are addicted is a team effort, from the individual to the national government.
ReplyDeleteShannon, you brought up some great points that I had not considered until reading your post. I had not considered heroin to be a cheaper alternative to prescription drugs, and the access that young people have to prescription drugs is alarming. This is definitely something to be aware of as a parent myself!
ReplyDeleteI agree that parents need to be more conscious about what is easily accessible to their children. If this trend continues, someone is going to make a fortune on developing something to make prescription pill containers "teenager-proof". In all seriousness, my cousin passed away from a heroin overdose. She had been clean for months until she relapsed one day and overdosed. If they don't already, rehabilitation programs need to educate abusers about tolerance. My cousin probably didn't know that she lost her tolerance since she last used heroin. She didn't know that the dose she remembers as being the perfect dose, was now a lethal dose. While it is very important to prevent drug addictions, I believe it is equally important to educate users about the dangers of drugs.
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