Stop Heroin
Addiction, loss of innocence, morbidity, failure and death are just a few of the many words that come to mind when I think of drug and alcohol abuse, specifically pertaining to my family. Growing up, it was habitual by nature for me to pray I wouldn’t have to see my uncles under the influence of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, or alcohol. The first and most prevalent and obvious issue that I could see was alcohol. At family get togethers, my uncle Seth would hide flasks under his jacket and make a “shh” gesture towards me when I was the only one who saw him take a swig of that dreaded alcohol. Next, it was the dreaded drugs. I have vivid memories and pictures in my head of the countless numbers of bruises, scars, and open sores on his arms from needles that he had shared with others in a crackhouse. My uncle would tell my grandma he was going to “be right back”, and he would come back stumbling on the steps of her house begging us to forgive him for what he had done to himself and to his body. All of this was all too normal for me growing up. My uncle Pat is a whole different story. With a perfect ACT score, a full ride to countless numbers of colleges, and being a state wrestling champion, he had everything going right for his life. But, in the blink of an eye, he threw it all away when he fell to the evil nature of drugs. To …show more content…
As previously reported by St. Louis Public Radio, the number of deaths in Missouri caused by heroin has doubled in recent years, with 90% of those deaths occurring in St. Louis (Public Radio). Mostly targeting white teens and young adults, the heroin epidemic is spreading rapidly. Heroin is highly addictive, and once you are hooked it is close to impossible to stop the abuse. I asked my mom if Seth ever made any attempts to stop his addiction or if any means were taken to assist him in any way. She replied, “ He did make
Addiction, loss of innocence, morbidity, failure and death are just a few of the many words that come to mind when I think of drug and alcohol abuse, specifically pertaining to my family. Growing up, it was habitual by nature for me to pray I wouldn’t have to see my uncles under the influence of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, or alcohol. The first and most prevalent and obvious issue that I could see was alcohol. At family get togethers, my uncle Seth would hide flasks under his jacket and make a “shh” gesture towards me when I was the only one who saw him take a swig of that dreaded alcohol. Next, it was the dreaded drugs. I have vivid memories and pictures in my head of the countless numbers of bruises, scars, and open sores on his arms from needles that he had shared with others in a crackhouse. My uncle would tell my grandma he was going to “be right back”, and he would come back stumbling on the steps of her house begging us to forgive him for what he had done to himself and to his body. All of this was all too normal for me growing up. My uncle Pat is a whole different story. With a perfect ACT score, a full ride to countless numbers of colleges, and being a state wrestling champion, he had everything going right for his life. But, in the blink of an eye, he threw it all away when he fell to the evil nature of drugs. To …show more content…
As previously reported by St. Louis Public Radio, the number of deaths in Missouri caused by heroin has doubled in recent years, with 90% of those deaths occurring in St. Louis (Public Radio). Mostly targeting white teens and young adults, the heroin epidemic is spreading rapidly. Heroin is highly addictive, and once you are hooked it is close to impossible to stop the abuse. I asked my mom if Seth ever made any attempts to stop his addiction or if any means were taken to assist him in any way. She replied, “ He did make