The heroin epidemic is very real. But with so many people claiming this “heroin epidemic” it’s hard to understand the gravity of the situation if you’re far removed from the people struggling with heroin addiction- or the families who are subjected to the devastation the drug causes. Unfortunately we don’t have to go far from our Florida home to see the effects of heroin in Delray Beach. According to The Sun Sentinel, in May there were 17 reported (yes, that means there could be more) heroin overdoses, and three deaths as a result. If that isn’t close enough to home, I don’t know what is.
Maybe the problem is that overdose is such an abstract concept for most people. Let’s put overdose in perspective: we all have opiate receptors which help our body manage pain. And yes, these receptors are au naturel. Now, when we introduce external opiate substances, like heroin (or prescription medications for that matter) our receptors are taxed in their attempt to filter out the extra substance. In the event of an overdose our opiate receptors become inundated with opiates, and begin to shut down. Their failure results in the central nervous system shutting down. As a result, those suffering from overdoses are unable to breathe.
Overdoses can cause permanent brain damage if not quickly reversed with medications like narcan and naloxone. In severe cases victims of overdoses lose their vision and motor functions. We wrote an article on a severe case of overdose here. In Delray this happened to 17 people in a single month. For 2015 already, there have been 26 overdoses and four total deaths in Delray Beach. The Delray Police Department are investigating the string of overdoses, as they may point to something insidious.
In 2013 Delray Beach suffered from a similar string of events. Eventually investigators discovered the heroin involved in the incidents were laced with an opiate based medication called fentanyl. Law officials are waiting for this new batch of heroin to come back from the lab to deduce if there are other substances mixed into it.
Beyond the obvious drug and overdose issue, perhaps the larger problem is why? Why heroin in the first place? It’s not enough for law enforcement to arrest offenders found pushing the substance, or those who are buying it. Without sufficient residential drug rehabilitation or heroin rehabilitation, those suffering from heroin addiction will continue to use heroin, regardless of where they are.
Although many don’t realize it, addiction is a treatable disease. When the underlying catalysts of addiction are rectified recovering addicts lead happy, productive, and lucrative lives. Sometimes they just need a little help along the way.
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The post Fatal Overdose Deaths Plague Delray Beach: 17 Heroin Overdoses in May Alone appeared first on Harbor Village Florida.
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