Heroin Addiction Hits All Levels of Society

The Atlanta Recovery Center issued a warning today that heroin addiction is on the rise.

Executive Director of The Atlanta Recovery Center, Mary Rieser warns, “We are seeing an alarming number of new students coming in addicted to heroin The drug has grown in popularity amongst today’s youth.  Heroin is the most common addiction we are now seeing among the addicts arriving at our rehab for treatment and rehabilitation.”

The DEA says that heroin is the most abused of all the opiates. Heroin is common in all metropolitan areas on the east coast. Heroin can vary in color from a white to darkish brown powder.  The darker the color the more additives the heroin has, such as fentanyl, strychnine, or other poisons.

Mary Reiser states, “3.8 million Americans 12 or older reported trying heroin at least once during their lifetime, in 2006.  And in 2007 almost 30% of high school seniors reported that heroin was easy for them to find.  This is a growing problem in America that parents need to be aware of.”

The most serious long term effect of heroin is addiction.  The user builds up a tolerance to the drug and needs more and more of the same drug to produce the desired effect.  The user then becomes addicted to the drug.  Withdrawing from the drug is very uncomfortable, with symptoms ranging from nausea, diarrhea, muscle and body aches to death.  Symptoms can be greatly reduced and treated during withdraw under a physician’s care.