Heroin Addiction And The Search For Help
Heroin Addiction and the Search for Help
Jennifer Benware
HSM 210
Corinne Soares
June 1, 2014
Nobody wants to be addicted to something….especially not heroin. I chose to write this paper about the heroin addicted population because I have been through a lot because of this drug. From finding my estranged husband overdosed twice to losing my brother and sister in law to prison to losing the countless amount of friends to this demon drug. According to According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 620,000 Americans used heroin in 2010. But according to a new report conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, approximately 1.5 million Americans were “chronic heroin users” that year. That group includes anyone who had consumed heroin on four or more days in the previous month. (Sullum, 2014) Sadly, the numbers just keep increasing and so does the death toll. Heroin addicts are faced with many problems when it comes to getting treatment for their addiction. They are faced with no available space in treatment centers, most facilities will not accept insurance, withdrawals can be deadly when not being monitored in an inpatient facility, hepatitis is on the rise due to sharing needles, and much more. The most significant problem is that there are not enough treatment facilities with open availability. Like most addicts, a heroin addict has to be ready and willing to seek help on their own before they will consider stop using. Unfortunately, with the overwhelming amount of addicts seeking treatment there are not enough facilities or patient spaces to accommodate everyone. Currently where I live in Butler County, Ohio there is a 6 month waiting list for every treatment facility. There are currently only 82 beds available for treatment and every bed is taken and the wait list continues to grow. (McLaughlin, 2014) Due to the lack of available space in drug treatment centers a heroin addict is faced with the
Jennifer Benware
HSM 210
Corinne Soares
June 1, 2014
Nobody wants to be addicted to something….especially not heroin. I chose to write this paper about the heroin addicted population because I have been through a lot because of this drug. From finding my estranged husband overdosed twice to losing my brother and sister in law to prison to losing the countless amount of friends to this demon drug. According to According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 620,000 Americans used heroin in 2010. But according to a new report conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, approximately 1.5 million Americans were “chronic heroin users” that year. That group includes anyone who had consumed heroin on four or more days in the previous month. (Sullum, 2014) Sadly, the numbers just keep increasing and so does the death toll. Heroin addicts are faced with many problems when it comes to getting treatment for their addiction. They are faced with no available space in treatment centers, most facilities will not accept insurance, withdrawals can be deadly when not being monitored in an inpatient facility, hepatitis is on the rise due to sharing needles, and much more. The most significant problem is that there are not enough treatment facilities with open availability. Like most addicts, a heroin addict has to be ready and willing to seek help on their own before they will consider stop using. Unfortunately, with the overwhelming amount of addicts seeking treatment there are not enough facilities or patient spaces to accommodate everyone. Currently where I live in Butler County, Ohio there is a 6 month waiting list for every treatment facility. There are currently only 82 beds available for treatment and every bed is taken and the wait list continues to grow. (McLaughlin, 2014) Due to the lack of available space in drug treatment centers a heroin addict is faced with the
References: Hannah, J. (2014, April 7) Killer Heroin Earns its Name in Butler County. Retrieved from Cincinnati.com http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/2014/04/07/killer-heroin-earns-name-butler-county/7449731/ Mc Laughlin, S. (2014, May 11). Butler County Heroin Addicts to get More Help. Retrieved from Cincinnati.com http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/2014/05/11/butler-county-heroin-addicts-get-help-sojourner-recovery-services-scott-gehring/8984497/ Sullum, J. (2014, March 10). How Many Daily Heroin Users Are There In The U.S.? Somewhere Between 60,000 and 1 Million. Maybe. Retrieved from Forbes.com http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2014/03/10/how-many-daily-heroin-users-are-there-in-the-u-s-somewhere-between-60000-and-1-million-maybe/