Heroin Epidemic In The Community

In August of 2016, twenty-six people lives changed, and may never be fixed. In only one week these twenty-six people overdosed on heroin, which three of them died (Police). This is the unseen epidemic because of how unaware people are. People are blind to the prevalence in our community, rising rate of deaths, and seizures, lastly that Narcan will become counterproductive. This unseen epidemic is growing faster than anyone knows, and has to be addressed head on.

According to O 'Grady, A. (2015). Fighting Ohio 's heroin epidemic, “At least 18 people die every week in Ohio from a heroin overdose” (para. 1). That is why the war on drugs is real. People are losing family members and loved ones due to the tight pull of drugs and not just in Ohio, this is a worldwide epidemic and mostly teens are getting hit by the peer pressure. Teens are into social media and their reputation among others. Therefore, they want to look their coolest and have fun through the teenage years. That is why they resort to drugs, get addicted and

There have been several news coverages on TV and social network about drug overdose of different cases recently and they have risen people’s concern about the problems of drug abuse national-wide. The drug abuse and opioid epidemic is not a new problem to the American society, actually it has been a serious problem for many years. So what is the situation of drug epidemic now, and how can we find effective ways to deal with this problem? A few writers who ponder this question are Nora D. Volkow, Dan Nolan and Chris Amico.

Many people may not realize this but multiple states, including Michigan, are facing an epidemic. It is not a disease, however, it is a heroin epidemic. In a country where addictive opioid pain-killer prescriptions are handed out like candy, it not surprising heroin, also known as smack or thunder, has become a serious problem. The current heroin epidemic Michigan is facing, as are dozens of other states, has spiraled out of control in recent years. In Michigan, some of the areas hit hardest by this drug are in the southern portion of the state, like Wayne, Oakland, and Monroe Counties. The connection between painkillers and heroin may not be clear, but this is because both are classified as opioid drugs, and therefore cause many of the same positive and negative side effects. As a country, we are currently the largest consumer of opioids in the world; almost the entire world supply of hydrocodone (the opioid in Vicodin) and 81% of the world’s oxycodone (in Percocet and OxyContin) is used by the United States (Volkow). Along with consuming most of the world’s most common opioids, we have gone from 76 million of these prescriptions in 1991 to 207 million in 2013 – constantly increasing except for a small decrease starting in 2012 (Volkow). This widespread use has caused numerous consequences from increasing emergency room visits – for both painkillers and heroin – to sky-rocking overdose cases all over the country (Volkow). Michigan, unfortunately, currently has one of the

A huge epidemic that is obtaining a lot of attention from Congress and medical professionals across the county is the spiking heroin overdoses that are rising at alarming rates. (Krisberg, 2014). My question to everyone that is researching this topic is this:

Depending on the source, some would term the heroin and opioid problem in the United States a crisis, while others would use the word epidemic. Regardless of which expression is more accurate, the situation regarding heroin and opioid use, abuse and dependence has ignited national, if not global concern. History shows us that pervasive dilemmas have a tendency to cultivate a variety of intervention and the heroin and opioid crisis is no different.

Volunteering and participating in service projects are two of the most rewarding activities in my opinion. Some people may find it was a hassle or only do it because they have to meet the minimum requirement for school or work. Helping others, for me, has always been somewhat second nature to me. Over many years of volunteering I believe I have developed qualities that will stick with me for life and benefit me in my career. As early as freshman year, in high school, I found myself looking for ways to give back. I started by looking for opportunities within school, where I came across the A+ tutoring program, and so my journey of giving back began. While tutoring, my patience for others really evolved, partly by choice and partly because

This literature review will focus mainly on the drug use of heroin, the scary numbers behind the drug and the sudden rise of overdosing on the drug across the United States. Issues that will be discussed are what is Heroin, what’s in Heroin that makes it addicting, how it can increase the users risk of contracting other life threatening diseases and where it’s use and abuse are most popular across the United states and we will take a look at multiple studies that show examples of our new drug problem in the United States. While we looked at how homicide rates have dropped while in class, the flip side to that is that the amount of drug usage has risen.

rate and cities are struggling to find solutions. The CDC reports that 27,000 people die each year due to heroin overdoses. The jails are filled with offenders, that once released go out and use again, continuing a cycle of insanity without producing answers. Youths experiment with drugs, which is nothing new, but the availability of heroin, meth and the lack of education has contributed greatly to this epidemic. No one seemed to be paying any attention until it reached epidemic proportions, or as some have suggested, became "a white middle class problem" that surpassed the poor minority population.

The heroin epidemic in New Jersey has been more and more relevant in 2016 and in the past few months. There was a report earlier this year of a mother and father overdosing on heroin in a car with their toddler in the backseat. This along with other sad and tragic stories have shaped the public narrative of the heroin epidemic in New Jersey. A report last year by New Jersey Advance Media notes that the per-capita rate of 8.3 heroin-related deaths per 100,000 people is more than triple the national rate reported by the Centers for Disease Control (Hochman). Ocean County seems to be one of the impacted communities in New Jersey. The death toll in this county and many other in Jersey have been rising. Researchers have found that dealers in New Jersey are adding more Fentanyl, an opioid painkiller a hundred times more powerful than morphine, to the heroin and thus sells at higher rates because it produces a better and bigger high. And the purity of heroin in Jersey is higher than the average. The fact that drug dealers are cutting their product with deadly toxins, that make it more addictive and more dangerous and most importantly keeps the cost low. Heroin has morphine mixed in it and can be a more affordable stand in for painkillers. A bag of heroin goes for about $5 or $10 whereas painkillers go for about $40 or $50. The affordability of the drug and the addictive nature

What are your thoughts on the Heroin Epidemic? Reflect on the article in well thought out.

Heroin is readily available and cheap. How does a small-town deal with it? To begin with it, the town needs to change their thinking and their vocabulary. Changing their vocabulary and looking at the heroin addict as a person and not as addict is the first step. The town needs to see it as a disease, just like cancer or any other health issue. The town needs to help remove the stigma associated with the heroin addiction, bring it out of the closet and let the heroin addict know they can get help. Remove the shame because addiction, judgment, and embarrassment go hand in hand.

The Kane County community is experiencing a growing use of heroin. For instance, in 2014, 22 deaths were contributed to heroin overdose; in 2015, 10 deaths were amounted due to overdosing. While the numbers decreased, it is still a prominent issue in our community. In fact, every three days, someone will die of a heroin overdose in the suburbs.

When it comes to this topic I am not that knowledgeable on heroin. My family and I haven't went through something significant like using heroin or any kind of drugs like that. What I do know this reminds me of when last semester we had a panel on Heroin at our University in the MPR room. When I was there I listen and heard how can destroy a family. A cop had a son who was using heroin, and he tried to help him as best as he can. The son later on in the story went to rehab to get clean, and he was successful in doing that. The son was also at the panel with is father the cop as a surprise ending. So from what I know is Edinboro, and Erie are taking steps to address heroin going out making it known. Telling people heroin is back with a force.

Drug abuse is on the rise across the United States. It is uncommon in the current time to hear of a family that drug use has not impacted in some capacity. Heroin abuse is an epidemic that is substantially affecting thousands of families across the St. Louis area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Heroin-related overdose deaths have more than quadrupled since