In the wake of revelations that dozens of young people were involved in a Virginia heroin ring that has been associated with four deaths, Washington Post reporter Caitlin Gibson wanted to know what leads a "good kid" to start using heroin. Her investigation led to a two-part article series titled “When Heroin Hits Home.”

The answer is simple, according to Edythe London, a neuroscientist and pharmacologist at UCLA who is at the forefront of addition study: "Heroin is an equal-opportunity substance." The factors that make a person susceptible to drugs cross ethnic and economic lines in ways many people don’t fully realize, London says.

The best that parents can do, Gibson opined, is pay attention, be involved in their kids' lives, and watch for signs of trouble.

Labels: heroin, parental_involvement, teen_drug_use

In 1990, Lisa Molina tried to overdose on heroin. She was pregnant at the time. When her suicide attempt didn't work, she entered a YWCA-sponsored program called Born-Free, for women who are pregnant and want to be drug and alcohol free -- and five months later, her daughter, Jessica, was born.

Lisa and Jessica (who is now 18 years old) recently spoke at a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the program's two new homes in Riverside County, California.

"I get to go to college. I got to graduate high school," Jessica said, enumerating the opportunities she's had because of the program.

"Sometimes I don't realize how important it is until they ask me to do things and I see people and their reactions," Jessica said. "They come up to me and tell me that they're proud of me. They tell me 'Thank you' for talking to them and I really feel blessed."

She paused.

"Without a doubt, it is because of Born-Free. ... Thank you for mine and my mom's life," Jessica said. (Source: The Press-Enterprise)

Women who enter the Born Free program live in two homes that have separate entrances but share a wall. "The homes, connected by a wall but with separate entrances, were designed specifically to house the women, including larger bathrooms with multiple sinks and intercom systems to screen visitors," the Press-Enterprise reported.

Labels: heroin, pregnancy, recovery

The overdose death of a 15-year-old Milwaukee girl has prompted hard but honest conversations about drug use among teenagers. The Wisconsin head of the Department of Justice's Narcotics Bureau discussed some of the issues on a Milwaukee morning news program.

"[David] Spakowitz detailed that heroin is more used by teenagers because it's simply not as hard to use as it was a generation ago... 'From about the mid-90s, there's been such an increase in the quality of heroin that makes it snortable. There's not the stigma associated with needles.'"

He also said the leap from marijuana or alcohol to harder drugs like heroin is being made more quickly; sometimes in as little as a year. Spakowitz encouraged parents to pay attention to their children's behavior, watch for signs of drug use, and seek help immediately if they know their child is using. Source: WTMJ News Radio (Milwaukee)

Labels: drug use, heroin, teenagers

Voters in Switzerland approved a measure allowing addicts to obtain heroin every day from government clinics. However, they voted down the legalization of marijuana.

The United States and the United Nations criticized the 14-year-old Swiss program that gives away heroin at 23 centers across that country as one that encourages drug abuse. However, advocates of the program successfully argued that the measure has reduced crime, improved the lives of addicts, and stopped drug users from shooting up in public places.

Labels: addiction, addicts, heroin

Voters in Switzerland approved a measure allowing addicts to obtain heroin every day from government clinics. However, they voted down the legalization of marijuana.

The United States and the United Nations criticized the 14-year-old Swiss program that gives away heroin at 23 centers across that country, claiming that the effort encourages drug abuse. However, advocates of the program successfully argued that the measure has reduced crime, improved the lives of addicts, and stopped drug users from injecting the drug in public places.

Labels: addiction, heroin

Methadone, a chemical used to treat adult heroin addicts, may help teenagers who are addicted to heroin and other opiate drugs, according to a study from Ireland.

Currently, European doctors are restricted from prescribing methadone to people under the age of 18. However, the new study, which focused on 19-year-old addicts, found that methadone could be helpful during treatment. Teenagers in Europe are increasingly experimenting with opiate drugs, especially heroin and prescription painkillers, as are their peers in the United States.

Methadone is widely used to treat adult heroin addicts in the United States.

Labels: addicts, heroin, methadone

When school officials found heroin in a student's car, they thought they were dealing with an isolated incident. But in the past four years, six Portage Public School students have died from a heroin overdose as the result of a steadily growing drug network.

"No hard numbers are available, but officials, parents and users estimate up to 30 Portage teenagers have been part of the drug network over the past few years...Some families have found their credit cards stolen and belongings pawned by their children who were in search of money to maintain a heroin habit."

In response, Portage schools have overhauled their drug enforcement program, implementing changes that include monthly visits by drug-sniffing dogs, harsher penalties for possession of drugs, and regular substance abuse information meetings for staff and parents. Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Labels: heroin, public_schools, trends

Marilyn Babiarz didn't know what she was getting into when she agreed to let her daughter's friend stay with them for a while. Years later, she found herself speaking at the young man's funeral after he lost his battle with heroin addiction.

"The same week [he] died, Babiarz saw a flyer for Parents 4 A Change, a local group of residents seeking to combat drug use in town. Babiarz decided to tell her story in the hopes of encouraging other families to join the group and come forward with stories of their own."

For years, she watched Mark Gilbert, Jr. struggle to overcome his addiction. He would do well for a few months, only to relapse again. Babiarz wants parents to know the dangers of drug use are real and aren't just limited to "troubled" or inner-city kids. "He was a Southington [Connecticut] kid and he used with other Southington kids," she said.

Private schools often offer smaller, more personal classroom settings and a variety of after school activities. Visit BoardingSchoolsInfo.com to find the best private school for your child.

Labels: addiction, heroin, support

At least two federal agencies have been warned that Afghan heroin is making its way into Canada with increasing frequency and that it poses a direct public threat. The RCMP's Ottawa drug branch Director, Paul Nadeau, says that about 60 percent of the heroin that's currently on Canadian streets comes from Afghanistan.

"Afghan heroin typically flows into Canada through two main trafficking arteries, Mr. Nadeau said: the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and then onto India and, finally, Canada; or from Afghanistan to western Africa, then through the United States into Canada."

Currently about 92 percent of the world's heroin comes from poppies grown in Afghanistan. Read more at TheGlobeandMail.com.

High school boarding schools may help keep your child out of trouble by offering a structured environment. Oakley School also includes therapy and counseling.

Labels: awareness, heroin, rise_in_use

A study in South Africa may not appear relevant to those living in the United States. But some of the findings may raise red flags for officials in America.

"[South Africa's Medical Research Council] MRC discovered that the relationship between mental health and tik [methamphetamine] use also indicate societal reasons for tik's popularity in the Western Cape. 'Our initial findings seem to indicate that tik use in the Western Cape is most high where gangsterism is most engrained in the society... The communities tend to have a depressed mood and some use tik to alleviate it,' said senior MRC scientist Andreas Pluddemann."

A recently discovered mixture called 'sugars' has officials concerned as well. 'Sugars' is a highly addictive mixture of cocaine and heroin. The purity is often very low and may be mixed with rat poison to help the mixture pass into the bloodstream. Read more online.

Labels: cocaine, heroin, mental_health