By Carrie Brown McWhorter
The Alabama Baptist
In the lead up to February’s New Hampshire presidential primaries, candidates Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina shared their stories of family members who struggled with heroin addiction and died of overdose.
The discussion brought to light stories of ruined lives, broken families and overdose deaths that are multiplying at alarming rates throughout the U.S. For many Americans who still think of heroin as an urban inner city drug, the discussion might have come as a surprise. However, Alabama law enforcement and drug addiction specialists confirm that the increasing use of heroin in the state is a major concern.
At a 2015 conference at Shades Crest Baptist Church, Bluff Park, Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector called heroin “an epidemic,” not just in the Birmingham area but also in the state and nation. A study released by Auburn Montgomery Outreach in 2015 noted that since the year 2000, the Interstate 20/59 corridor has become a primary route for drug trafficking and Birmingham’s central location along the route has made it a hub for dealers seeking to get their drugs into larger cities.
Increased availability
The results of this increased availability of heroin have been alarming. Researchers found that in 2012, the number of heroin-related deaths in Jefferson County doubled and doubled again in 2014 to 137. Though that number may seem small in comparison to the overall population, the rapid rise in overdose deaths mirrors national statistics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths in the U.S. nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2014. In 2014 overdoses from heroin, prescription drugs and opioid pain medications surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death in America, according to the CDC — the highest level of the 21st century. That year, there were 10,574 heroin-related overdose deaths and 18,893 deaths related to prescription pain relievers.
As the upward trends in heroin use and overdose continue, experts point to one leading cause — a dramatic increase in the number of prescriptions written for opiate painkillers during the past 15 years.
These powerful pain medications are familiar by their brand names — Vicodin, Lortab, OxyContin and Percocet — as well as by their generic names — hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine. Throughout the nation health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012, enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills. Alabama tops the list of states for opioid prescriptions. According to 2012 CDC data, Alabama doctors wrote 143 prescriptions for every 100 people in the state.
For some, the pills are necessary to relieve the chronic pain of injury or to control pain after medical procedures. For others, the temporary relief becomes an addiction that leads to more doctor visits, more prescriptions and more desperation. When the prescriptions are no longer available or become too expensive, prescription drug abusers turn to heroin, which is cheaper and more easily available. A study by the National Center for Health Statistics found that 4 in 5 new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers, making them 40 times more likely to become addicted to heroin, according to the CDC.
Because of the need for such drugs in medical care, the problem of opiate drug abuse is a challenging problem to address, according to J. Sándor Cheka III, executive director of the Addiction Prevention Coalition in Birmingham.
Many people have legitimate chronic pain and need medication for treatment, Cheka said. The problem begins when an individual becomes dependent on the medication for more than pain.
“Opiates are depressants, so they provide an escape. It’s much like alcohol but for some folks much more addictive,” he said.
Often the drugs prescribed for pain provide an escape from other parts of life that are unpleasant as well, which feeds the addiction, Cheka said.
Take the story of a promising high school athlete who is headed for a college career when an injury strikes. Not only does the young person have the physical pain of the injury, he has the emotional pain of losing the life he envisioned. Pain medicine relieves the physical pain and allows an escape from the emotional pain. However, once the injury is healed the emotional pain doesn’t go away. If the prescription is unavailable, the person will turn to whatever will provide that escape.
Turning to the street increases the risks of overdose, in part because of the purity of today’s heroin, Cheka said. Many heroin dealers are former cocaine dealers and are using the same methods to prepare heroin. Cheka said it’s not unusual to have purity levels of heroin as high as 98 percent, a deadly dose even for a drug addict.
“Something that high, you’re not going to survive. Even if you have a tolerance level, you can’t withstand 98 percent pure,” he said.
Another disturbing trend across the country is the rise of heroin laced with fentanyl, a prescription opiate used generally for people in hospice. Fentanyl generally is kept under careful controls and given only in extreme circumstances, Cheka said. Fentanyl’s potency means that even a small amount can cause an overdose, making it incredibly dangerous on the streets.
Alabama law enforcement officials are working in conjunction with federal officials to combat the spread of heroin in the state, according to Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. The state is part of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency task force focused on shutting down drug distribution networks in Alabama.
Legislation, education is key
In September 2015, Strange’s office dedicated the annual statewide law enforcement summit to drug abuse education and prevention.
“Nearly 700 state law enforcement officers … attended the conference to learn the latest drug abuse trends and how to fight this growing threat to our communities,” Strange said. “Officers received briefings on heroin and other illegal drugs and learned how state and federal agents are dealing with the drug epidemic.”
Strange also said he supports the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, national legislation that would increase funding for drug prevention, treatment and recovery programs. The legislation includes plans to combat prescription drug addiction and improve medical provider education about managing chronic pain. Another part of the bill is expanded access to naloxone, a medication that counteracts overdoses of heroin and other opioids.
Naloxone, which is sold under several brand names including Narcan and Evzio, is used by first responders and hospitals to reverse overdoses of heroin or other opioids, but many in the addiction and prevention community argue that the life-saving medication should be more easily available to addicts and their family members, since administering naloxone can prevent death by overdose.
On Feb. 9, Walgreens announced its stores would begin selling naloxone over the counter in 39 states, including Alabama. Such steps geared toward prevention are important, Strange said.
“Drug abuse, including heroin, represents a serious problem and law enforcement cannot address it alone. That is why I continue to support efforts to increase community awareness and involvement in preventing and treating drug addiction.”
Signs of heroin use
- 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
Source: http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-heroin-use.html
Share with others: