The New Face of Heroin

Remember the 1964 Bob Dylan song “The Times They Are a-Changin’.

Well back in the 1960’s when this song first came out; a typical heroin user was a homeless African American male living in a flop house in the inner city, and sitting around injecting heroin from a hypodermic needle.

Would it surprise you to know that today, fifty years later, a typical heroin user is a white male or female in their mid-20’s living in suburbia?

One reason for this shift is due to the fact that many people feel the heroin of the 21st century is safer to use; since it is purer, less expensive, and able to be snorted or smoked instead of injected.

According to a 3/10/14 Hartford Current article by David Owens, “Accidental heroin deaths in Connecticut last year were up 48% from 2012, mirroring a trend across New England and the nation that the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called an “urgent public health crisis.”

“In Connecticut, 257 people died from heroin-related overdoses in 2013, up from 174 in 2012, according to data released by Chief Medical Examiner James R. Gill.”

Why?

A pattern that we often see with teenagers and young adults is that they begin experimenting with prescription drugs, which they find in a family or friend’s medicine cabinet. One drug that is known to be widely used and abused, and in many U.S. medicine cabinets, is OxyContin. OxyContin is an opioid that is commonly used to treat moderate to moderately severe acute or chronic pain.

With the increased abuse OxyContin, pharmaceutical companies took steps to develop an abuse-deterrent formulation of the drug, making the pill more difficult to crush (or inhale), and to make the substance less soluble (used to prepare the drug for injecting).

According to a 2012 New England Journal of Medicine study, when the new formulation of OxyContin came onto the market, as many as 66% of OxyContin user surveyed said they switched to another opioid, which in most cases was heroin.

Due to the alarming number of heroin overdoses in CT, a new law was passed in CT in 2012, allowing family members and friends of heroin addicts to have access to prescriptions for Narcan nasal spray or injections, to keep on hand in the event of an emergency. Narcan reverses the opioid overdose, and Narcan can’t be used to get high. Despite having the ability to use Narcan in an emergency, it’s still recommended to call 911.

Available Resources

If you or someone you know has an alcohol or drug problem, there is help available.

CT Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services
410 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
800-446-7348
TDD: 888-621-3551
www.dmhas.state.ct.us

SAMHSA’s National Helpline
1-800-662-HELP (4357)
TTY: 1-800-487-4889

Veteran’s Crisis Line
1-800-273-8255
TTY: 1-800-799-4889

CT Info-line
Dial 211
http://www.211ct.org

The Caregiver Resource Center

We are specialists who assist seniors, people with special needs and their families in implementing ways to allow for the greatest degree of health, safety, independence, and quality of life.

The Caregiver Resource Center is unique in that we are available for our clients whenever they need us.

Our Concierge Services

• Available 24/7 for emergencies and 7 days a week by appointment
• Services individually designed
• On-site services in your place of residence
• Assessment, Care Plan Development and Care Coordination
• Advocacy provided in the ER, doctor’s office, assisted living facility, nursing home or hospice
• Diverse menu of services to choose

For more information, or to request an initial consultation, please contact:

Linda Ziac, LPC, LADC, BCPC, CEAP, CCM, CDP
The Caregiver Resource Center
Greenwich, CT
203-861-9833
www.CaregiverResourceCenter.com

Disclaimer

The information in this article is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient provider relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Please consult your health care provider for an appointment, before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.

Photo from The Printshop