AHS Views

Heroin is more common than you think. That is, if you’re a parent. The kids definitely know about it. In fact, along with OxyContin and Vicodin - which are basically the same as heroin - it is becoming a widely used drug of choice. Where we used to think of heroin users as a the strung out, wasted guy in the alley, we’re now dealing with “honor-roll students, drama-club students, kids playing school sports,” says Pierrette Farber, a drug expert in Hudson Valley, NY who sees kids who need drug addiction help every day.

The scariest thing about it is the kids’ attitude - they don’t think trying heroin is that bad. And one user said that a popular anti-drug site is just government propaganda. Wouldn’t you like to find out who told him that?

One user featured in the article has now been free of heroin for 75 days. He started in his teens - crushing and snorting things like OxyContin and now, years later, he’s trying to get straight. He has tried many times and finally asked a friend for help. With his friend’s help, he got into drug detox. His description of detox is a pretty clear statement of why most people who try to get off heroin can’t do it: “Every single of part of your body aches for weeks,” he says. “It’s like the flu times 100.”

In fact, it doesn’t have to be that bad if you go to a medical drug detox center. A good one can actually help you detox in relative comfort and in a short period of time. After that you need to get addiction help through drug rehab to get to the bottom of why you became addicted so it won’t happen again.

Parents - you’ve really got to check out your kids. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your kid would never do anything like that. I can guarantee you that most of the parents who’s kids are now in need of addiction help services thought the same thing. Check them out very thoroughly, and get them sorted out fast.