WATCH: Life of Heroin Addict from Arlington Documented by CBS News

ARLINGTON, MA - He was called the face of the heroin epidemic by CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley and now the country will see what life is like for a heroin addict from Arlington.

Jason Amaral recently allowed CBS News to follow him around Boston and document his daily struggle. The day starts at 7:30 a.m. as he makes phone calls for cash so he can buy drugs. He is seen on camera begging an aunt from Florida for money, picking up pills to take away the edge, used the Boston City Hall bathroom to crush and consume the pills, and shot up heroin in the middle of the day.

“Your eyes open and you think of heroin, nothing else. You don’t have money, you’re thinking of how to get money to get heroin,” he told CBS News.

Amaral grew up as one of two sons of a single mom in Needham. After his mom died when he was 11, he moved in with his father who lived in Arlington.

In college, Amaral first tried Oxycontin before moving on to heroin.

On the day before he was set to go to rehab, camera crews caught Amaral with a friend preparing to inject heroin laced with fentanyl as his friend’s child watched television in the next room. He can be seen pleading with his brother to stay in rehab has he prepares to inject himself. There is an emotional moment, but it passes as he prepares to inject the drug.

The next day, Amaral checked into a rehab clinic in South New Jersey.

Click the video below to see Amaral in rehab.

You can read more about Jason's journey here, and follow correspondent DeMarco Morgan on Twitter @DeMarcoReports.