It is encouraging to know that heroin use amongst teenagers was on a steady decline for awhile. With anti-drug campaigns and drug education, teens demonstrated that they were understanding the risks associated with the drug. In 2001, the total number of teens that reported using heroin in their lifetime was 3.1%. That number decreased to 2.4% by 2007. However, according to national statistics, heroin use among teens has all of a sudden doubled over the past 2 years.
Substance abuse in teens typically begins with smoking and drinking. Although heroin is considered a “hard” drug and is a lot less common, it's rise in popularity appears to be linked to Oxycontin, a prescription pain killer. The abuse of Oxycontin has been steadily increasing over the years and is said to be the gateway to heroin abuse. Like heroin, it is an opium based drug and highly addictive. It is believed by many that teens who develop a dependence on Oxycontin often switch to heroin because it is cheaper and provides a more intense high.
Heroin can be identified as a powder that varies in color from white to light brown, depending on what country it comes from. However, the majority of it resembles light brown sugar. Identifying heroin use in teens can be difficult. Although, the warning signs that are often present with any substance abuse include a change in attitude, friends, issues at school, and the desire to be more isolated. Due to the fact that heroin is most commonly injected, paraphernalia such as needles may be found. Also, track marks are usually seen at the site of injection.
If your teen or someone you know is abusing heroin, it is time to act quickly. Addiction recovery can be very difficult and highly unpleasant. However, success rates for recovery increase with early intervention. Due to the nature of heroin withdrawal and the severe physiological cravings for the drug, it is important to seek professional help. Under professional care, medications can lessen the symptoms of withdrawal and behavioral counseling can break the patterns of addiction.
