Jessica's Story

Heroin, a highly addictive opioid drug has increasingly become a major impact on our local area.  According to information available from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the impact on the medical community and society is enormous.

Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, fetal impact, crime, violence and disruptions of families and the workplace cost Americans billions of dollars per year.

The number of heroin users has steadily increased since 2007 and may be influenced by the abuse of prescription pain killers.  This illegal and highly addictive drug is processed from morphine which is a natural substance found in poppy plants.  This is not the poppy plant you see growing in local gardens.  The typical white or brownish powder that is “cut” with sugars, starch, powdered milk or quinine comes to the U. S. east of the Mississippi from South America and Southeast Asia.

Young adults between 18-25 are the growing population using Heroin in our country and here in Clark County.  In 2012 reports indicate that over 650,000 Americans reported using heroin.

Recently The Enon Eagle met with two of those young people drawn into the use of addictive drugs by life experiences.  They volunteered to be interviewed and spoke openly about their lives.  In speaking with them, their stories are diverse and yet have a common string of life changing experiences that proved too difficult to face without a desire to take away the pain.  In one case that pain was physical and in the other emotional.

Jessica is a 22 year old who grew up in a small town to the north west of Clark County.  Her parents are in the paramedical field and mechanical operations.  She has siblings who are younger and still in school. She was the oldest child and the one to lead the way for her siblings by graduating high school and going on to begin her college experience until she was involved in a major car accident that left her with a broken neck and pelvis and in severe pain.

During the treatment phase of her recovery, Jessica’s physician prescribed pain medication to help the high school sophomore return to the classroom and resume her academic life.  Her high school career was marked by achieving recognition as a National Honor Society member and she was viewed as a popular young woman just coming into her teen years and participating in sports.

At age 18 she drained her bank account and spent it on street pills because she was “in so much pain”.  She moved on to heroin because it was less expensive and she could obtain it from “people she knew”.  She described the experience of using the addictive drug as giving her “a feeling of not caring” and taking away the constant pain.

To obtain her drug of choice, Jessica began stealing from family and friends including one of her younger siblings.  She told the Eagle that her parents were not aware of her using street drugs, but were aware of her use of prescription pain relievers.  Her habit caused her to drop out of classes at a local college and made it impossible to have a job or continue her studies.

Jessica reported that she has spent more time over the past four years in jail or rehab than at home with her family.  As her need for heroin increased so did the consequences of her actions.  She has spent time in prison and in at least two different county facilities as well.

Her recent incarceration at the Clark County Jail began when she overdosed at the home of another user.  This was her second experience with “dying”.  The first time she was found in her car and this time she was lucky that the other drug user called for EMS services.  Often users do not call authorities out of fear of arrest or they are too high to recognize a bad situation.

Jessica is one of the users who can be thankful for the EMT use of Narcan a drug developed to reverse the effects of opiods.  Following her stay in the hospital, she was bonded out of jail until her court appearance where she was sentenced to 90 days in jail.  At the time of her interview, she was two thirds of the way finished with her sentence and had been reflecting on how she can move forward.  She repeated a number of times during the interview that the talk in her cell block about drugs is something she would like to be removed from.  She is a “trustee” at the jail and is able to fill her time by working in the laundry.  By achieving this designation, she has shown that she can be trusted and is willing to be productive while serving her time.

In her interview, Jessica admits that she cannot afford to have too much free time.  She also admits that by not completing rehab in the past she was drawn back to heroin.  Her mother has been supportive throughout this incarceration visiting her once a week as allowed by the system.  Her father recently came to see her, but the relationship with her siblings has not rebound at this time.  Her drug free future depends on her ability to return to support meetings and stay with the program of a drug free life.  Her goal is to return to her rural setting home and gather the strength to move forward in a drug free life.

In the case of drug users who commonly follow the path that Jessica has, there are no Intervention television producers or representatives from the Dr. Phil show waiting outside the jail house doors to offer a program designed to their specific needs.  They must depend on community based programs to find a rehab opportunity that they can buy into and complete.  Lacking medical insurance coverage is another high stakes reminder that the system is broken and dependent on local programming to rehabilitate users.

As you spend time with Jessica, you can see the scars on her hands from where she injected the near fatal dose of heroin.  You also see your daughter or niece sitting there telling you about her life and how it changed so rapidly because of a car accident.  She explained that her mother is seeing a light returning to her eyes, and yet her speech pattern appears to have slowed significantly compared to other young women her age that you interact with daily.  There is a determination in her voice, but without the support of her family and old friends, you wonder if she will be able to recover completely.  Her determination is present, but the financial resources to support her post withdrawal needs may be something that she will need assistance to achieve.

Following incarceration for a drug offense, it is difficult for individuals to return to be productive in society.  Having a court record can impact on their ability to obtain successful employment and yet they need to slowly return to society so that they are not sitting idle and giving into thoughts of returning to the “feeling of not caring”.  Jessica appears to have learned a valuable lesson from her two near death experiences.  She reports that in fact she does not want to die and she advises others who may feel that they need to use drugs to handle the pain “don’t keep it a secret, ask for help”.  She admits that she did not ask her parents for help although she reports that her mother has stated a number of times that she is open to a request and offers her an understanding related to her drug habit.  Self confidence is also something that Jessica will be working to rebuild as she returns to her childhood home in early fall.

Next week we will introduce you to Shelby, slightly older and coming from an entirely different path to drug use and incarceration.

Part 2 - Heroin the Loss of Everything Shelby's Story

Part 3 - Children the Silent Victims of Heroin

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First Group 2x2
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