The Pinnacle Schools
Huntsville, AL

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Herion Use On The Rise Again

The new face of heroin bears little resemblance to the former stereotyped image of gaunt, pale and dirty "street" people. The recent death of clean cut Glee star Cory Monteith from an apparent overdose of heroin and alcohol sadly may benefit the public by bringing attention to the new generation of heroin users. Hopefully Monteith's celebrity status will not mislead parents into believing that heroin is a Hollywood problem. Its use is a problem with kids, teens, blue and white-collar workers from all races and cultures.

The new profile of a heroin user in the United States is a white male in his 30s, according to statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It's extremely likely that a heroin user started his or her drug use in their teenage years. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) documented an alarming 80 percent increase in first use of heroin among teens since 2002. In 2009, 510 teens and young adults between 15 and 24 died of a heroin overdose, up from 198 a decade earlier.

There are several reasons for the changing face of the heroin user across the U.S., experts say. It's cheaper and more plentiful. Once navigated through contorted routes from the Far East and Southwest Asia, heroin is now produced in South America and Mexico. The closer distance has increased the supply of heroin in the U.S. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's production jumped from 150 metric tons in 2002 to 664 metric tons in 2006, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Another factor is that painkillers like Oxycodone are more difficult and more expensive to obtain since the U.S. government began a crackdown on abuse of prescription opiates. So many drug users have turned to heroin. Fortunately the trend is yet to appear at the adolescent treatment program provided by The Pinnacle Schools in North Alabama. The Elk River Treatment Program (ERTP) treats teens ages 12 to 18 from all over the United States with a myriad of problems from behavior and mental illness to drug and alcohol abuse. "As for heroin, we have treated residents who have reported heroin use, but it is hit-and-miss and usually with residents from bigger cities," said Martez Rogers, an Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor for ERTP. "They report experimental use only because it was around," he recalled.

"We continue to see quite a few kids abusing opiate-based prescription medication, said Rogers. Common opiate abuses reported by residents are Lortab, Percocet, Roxycontin (Oxycodone), Hydrocodone, and Fentanyl Patches." Rogers said that residents have reported the use of Promethazine, a medication that prevents motion sickness, nausea, vomiting and pain after surgery. It is also used as a sedative or sleep aid. Promethazine is in a group of drugs called Phenothiazine (FEEN-oh-THYE-a-zeen).

Codeine or 3-Methylmorphine is an opioid-based (analgesic) prescription medication. "Residents use both with marijuana by dipping the blunt, joint, or cigarette in the liquid form of Codeine or Promethazine or they use it alone in what is called Purple Drank or Dirty Sprite where they combine the Codeine or Promethazine with skittles, sprite, and of course the Leine. It is referred to as Sipping on Syzurp or Sipping on Leine," Rogers said.

The lack of reported heroin use is not an indication that clinicians are dismissing it, nor should parents. Each spring, professionals like Rogers attend a week-long conference hosted by the Alabama School of Alcohol and Drug Studies (ASADS.) "We learn and address current trends and developments in the world of addiction counseling and support services for the people we serve," Rogers explained. "This spring we discussed the increase of heroin use in relation to a push to have medications like Lortab, Percocet, Roxycontin, Hydrocodone, Fentanyl Patches, etc. changed to a Schedule 1 Controlled Substances because of its high potential for abuse, which means the drugs will be harder to access and stiffer penalties will be in place," Roger said. Unfortunately the user will naturally progress to the illicit opiate (heroin) that is usually cheaper, however, more dangerous because heroin is cut with harmful chemicals to increase its potency," he explained.

The Pinnacles Schools include a Private Year-Round School in Huntsville, AL for Grades 6 - 12, Elk River Academy for Extended Length of Stay, and Healthy Lifestyles Teen Weight Management Program.