To fight heroin abuse, report users to police

To fight heroin abuse, report users to police

The substance abuse addiction overtaking the Mahoning Valley is no secret. Heroin addiction, specifically, is on the rise and needs addressed. The stigma that is attached to drug users needs to change.

Yes, everyone has a choice to start using, but our community needs to realize that the battle is against the drug, not the addict. No one wakes up one morning and decides to become addicted to drugs.

It starts the same for every user: one high. Many times that is all it takes. Heroin knows no specific race, socioeconomic class or age. This addiction has overtaken the lives of young and old, rich and impoverished, black and white. Heroin is saturating our Valley with continuous heartbreak, and there needs to be a change.

Addiction is a disease and needs to be treated as such. Health insurance companies have started to cover more rehabilitation and treatments. However, they will only cover a certain time frame, and recovery time is unique for each individual.

Another fallback is that most facilities have a mile-high waiting list. We need more local facilities to keep up with the high demand. The amount of lives that our Valley is losing to this drug is evidence that prompt treatment is necessary. Overdoses attributed to heroin are up 41 percent in Ohio in comparison to recent years.

A true understanding and education of what addiction is would change the way this disease is fought. With better access to treatment, and more supporters, these people can get clean.

We need to get this drug out of our neighborhoods. If you know someone is using or selling, report it. It may not be the “cool” thing to do, but allowing our fellow citizens to continually die over this drug is the farthest from cool.

We need to band together for our city and deny heroin its control of our family, friends, and neighbors.

Brittany Hoffman, Poland