Look around. Heroin is influencing the lives of more than just scumbag 'junkies' and high school dropouts. We need to cut the stigma. It's affecting every age, every race, both rich and poor.

Heroin addiction only takes a one time mistake. For Richard Farrell, it was the night of his father’s funeral. In his article, Farrell states, “Nothing can stop me from getting heroin. I will rob you. I will manipulate you. If my mouth is moving, I am lying. Heroin is my god.” I believe this quote conveys what it’s really like to be a heroin addict. Heroin changes people into a complete mask of their former selves, disregarding all morals to feed their addiction.

Once a person becomes an addict, they are no longer the same, but all addicts need to feel free and encouraged to seek help. According to statistics from the American Society of Addiction Medicine, drug overdose is currently the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with 47,055 fatalities from drug overdoses in 2014. Plus, 21.5 million Americans have a substance addiction disorder based on the same 2014 data.

As the cost of heroin continues to go down, in some American cities today, a gram of heroin only costs between $15-20. This makes heroin, which is commonly considered one of the most lethal abusive drugs, also one of the cheapest options to illegally buy. In Massachusetts, a mother was found overdosed on heroin with her two-year-old baby crying in a dollar store aisle. In Ohio, a grandmother and her boyfriend overdosed on heroin with her grandchild in the back seat of the car. There are too many cases to count, too many that happen every day.

Addiction is a complex issue that shouldn’t be dealt with alone because many addicts surround themselves with other addicts and it’s often passed down in families. This means that to get clean, some people have to completely start over and cut their lifelong social ties with friends and family members. In the majority Christian nation we live in, given these findings, you would think that more people would be sympathetic and focus on helping these individuals through this epidemic. But there is currently a major lack of affordable programs available for addicts to get help on their own. Farrell states, "The jails are filled with heroin addicts like me. The cost to keep us locked up has become a burden on society." Drug laws ultimately will not prevent addicts from buying, but they do cause addicts to commit crimes which put other lives at risk. The taxes we spend to keep these addicts in jail could be better used to help fund addiction recovery centers to help break the cycle and get these addicts off the streets.

Unfortunately, many heroin addicts start off with a good education and come from a good background. Even Prince developed an opiate addiction, which caused his accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2016. Richard Farrell states, “I wasn’t always a scumbag. I was a star athlete in high school.” Heroin is affecting all demographics and 23 percent of heroin addicts develop addictions from pain pill abuse. Addicts often say, ‘It’s not that much different than what a doctor prescribes me.’ I believe pain pills are a coinciding problem because pain pills are only increasing the overdose and addiction epidemic, especially in Alabama with our lack of regulations to prevent doctor shopping and prescription abuse.

Media continues to release images and video of drug overdoses like heroin to show people what it actually does to addicts and to prevent future use. Personally, I encourage all media that calls out addicts in this way because many heroin addicts often deny accusations until they actually see what they’re doing on video. After seeing her picture in the news, the grandmother from Ohio decided to get help. There is hope. The “Heroin is my God” quote came from a man who got clean and has now been sober for decades. But we need to stop being silent, heroin addiction can no longer be the taboo topic of conversation or the elephant in the room. It's not a matter of if or when - it's now, and it's already killing so many. If we don't get these people help, they will only continue to rob and steal to get their heroin fix. This is why it is so important for addicts to be able to reach out and get help through recovery centers. In conclusion, every human being is worth saving and everyone deserves to have opportunities to get help for addictive disorders.