I didn’t. There is something called the “nod” where someone using heroin will nod off.

Sometimes an addict will sleep 24 hours straight due to heroin being laced with Xanax. In many areas now, they lace heroin with (fentanyl). Last drug test I gave my son indicated multiple drugs mixed in there, at least 9 out of the 12-panel tested on the screening test.

After using the drug, the addicted person has upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting.

Heroin is snorted or injected so you might not be aware your son or daughter, husband or wife is using for quite a while. Typically, people don’t start off shooting up. That comes later once they are hooked.

More young adults and adults are addicted to heroin than you know.

And someone you know is addicted to an opiate and you are unaware of it. Families that are well off to families that are not are both suffering in this epidemic.

It begins with your medicine cabinet or an injury

Ten percent of the population will become addicted to opiates when prescribed a pain medication through no fault of their own.

Those who suffer the illness of addiction, will feel an unprecedented euphoria.

Those of us who do not have the illness of addiction, will be sick or hate it. Still others will be alarmed by the great feeling and stop its use.

It’s crazy easy to get it. It’s in high schools and drug dealers will even deliver to your driveway. Kids go from things like oxycontin to heroin because oxy is so expensive. Heroin is cheap.

Do not think your family is immune. If your child suffers a mental health issue, the risks of abuse and addiction are more likely and deadly as the withdrawal period often triggers deep depression.

Most with addictive disorder have said, “they want to die” when they are going through withdrawal. Hence the reason so many can’t stop using it. Fear of a horrible withdrawal that lasts weeks, even months. And given that it’s laced with so many other drugs, there is multiple drug withdrawal.

We suffered a terrible loss due to this drug coupled with a mental health issue, depression. My son, Charles, died by suicide while going through withdrawal from this evil drug. It is not a symptom of bad parenting. But it’s this century’s version of the bubonic plague.

Signs of heroin use:

• Missing spoons and found spoons with burns on the bottom
• Pieces of tin foil or diabetic syringes
• If they snort heroin, you won’t see foil or spoons
• Leaving at strange times of the night and coming back in just moments later
• Parking a car down the street and then walking back and forth from that car
• Police parked outside your home for no apparent reason (watching)
• Never answering his/her phone
• The “nod” – Falling asleep while sitting or standing. Nodding off at strange times
• Things missing. If you have silver, check it. Most don’t realize it’s gone until a holiday
• Strange smell in his room that you can’t quite place
• Turning down on the corners of the mouth (Charles did not show this one)
• Loss of weight – (Charles was already super skinny so this didn’t apply)
• Strange behavior such as getting agitated easily or for no reason
• Runny nose that is non-stop especially when crying
• Nausea, diarrhea and vomiting that magically goes away
• Really long showers – (Often Charles would just fall asleep in the shower or use the shower to mask vomiting sound)

Those of you out there can add to this list. Our son was addicted for such a short time prior to his suicide and we didn’t know it so we picked up on the signs afterwards.

Dear Heroin, I F-ing HATE you!