The Epidemic of Youth Drug Addiction to Heroin

In Our Face

She tied the make shift tourniquet on her arm, a burnt empty spoon rested on her lap,and I watched her pierce her skin with the needle. She is no older than sixteen, white, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a heroin addict. I wanted to scream, “Please don’t do this.” I know she wouldn’t have listen.

Drug addiction to heroin with our youth is rapidly growing and the fatality of death is frightening. The ages of addiction is from as young as ten to the age of twenty. A ten year old who should be playing video games, Netflix and Chilling, skateboarding, playing sports and going to the mall and instead they are looking for their next fix seems unreal.

The Crisis of Youth Addiction

It is a harsh reality that the adolescent walking in the mall or sitting on the couch may use drugs. In Buffalo, N.Y the Erie County medical examiners said,“ there are a total of at least ten deaths a week because of Heroin overdose. Some youths begin with the gateway drug of using marijuana, graduate to pills, and then the hard stuff such. We live in a time where teenagers are dealing with a lot of trauma and using drugs as a way of escaping and becoming numb. A rehabilitation service such as Horizon Health services has a waiting list for 62 bed unit can expand to over 100 people on the waiting list. Those numbers are frightening to hear when you are seeking help for your child. Then there is the issue of insurances not covering the medical costs for rehab and the prescription drug Subaxone. Many of these denials violate state and federal laws requiring equal treatment for addiction and other mental health illnesses, according to the families of those who are addicted.( Buffalo news).

Coming off the bus in my neighborhood I can often find a young person nodding off, behind a house shooting up, or snorting the brown substance. The fact that they are sharing needles and the reality of contracting a HIV. I grew up around family members, neighbors, saw overdoses. What about the mothers and fathers who grew up in suburbs, never encounter a person addicted to drugs? Those are the ones in need of education, understanding that a teenager addicted to drugs is outside of the person they once was. They are not in control of their addiction and behaviors. They are in the fight of their lives and the battlegrounds are spreading to suburban and rural neighborhood s. Addiction is a family disease, and though only one person is using an entire family suffers. Nothing is more painful than watching the person you love refusing to seek help. I wrote this because what I saw today and if I can help one parent, one leader, and the world see that we must work collectively to eradicate drugs flooding our communities. Drug addiction isn’t just a one person problem it is an entire nation’s situation.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Know the signs of addiction to Heroin

Paraphernalia 
Burnt spoons 
Tiny baggies 
Tan or whitish powdery residue 
Dark, sticky residue 
Small glass pipes 
Syringes 
Rubber tubing 
Appearance:

Tiny pupils 
Sleepy eyes 
Tendency to nod off 
Slow breathing 
Flushed skin 
Runny nose 
Actions:

Vomiting 
Scratching 
Slurred speech 
Complaints of constipation 
Complaints of nausea 
Neglect of grooming 
Failure to eat 
Covering arms with long sleeves 
(Resource from:http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-heroin-use.html)

Know the Barriers

The first barrier is withdrawal symptoms 
Denial and refusal of help 
Lack of Resources, transportation in suburbs, and rural neighborhood 
No insurance/ Denial of Services 
Fear 
Shame

You can’t defeat Opiate addiction without a professional help! 
Residential treatment 
Prayer 
Counseling for Drugs and Mental Health 
Understand this process does not happen overnight 
Medications to help with withdrawals

Seek counsel and support groups for yourself 
Look for local agencies that train you Opioid Overdose Prevention 
CDC States funding Opioid Overdose Prevention

Numbers to Contact to Seek Support and Information On Treatment

Call 1–800–662-HELP (4357) or visit the online treatment locators.

800–390–4056

If you are located in Buffalo, NY

24 Hour Crisis Hotline
Buffalo and Erie County

716–834–3131

24 Hour Addiction Hotline
Buffalo and Erie County
716–831–7007