In the jail the inmates are not allowed newspapers. So when I interviewed the inmates about their heroin/drug addictions they were allowed to read the draft of the article. The last article was given to me by an inmate. The inmate told his father about the article who went and purchased the paper, several in fact. The father had a moment of pride with his son over how well his son had expressed his inner demon. With his father’s encouragement, the inmate decided to speak directly to my readers about his battle. Following is the letter written by the inmate.
This is a continuation of the last article I wrote for Corrections Officer J. J. I’m not sure how many of you understand the reality of heroin. I don’t make friends with heroin users in jail with me because I don’t want to invest what emotions I have left in a dead person.
How ironic is it that there is a television show called The Walking Dead, I see plenty of them here in the jail. In fact if the research were done, I bet they would find a 30% death rate among drug users who leave incarceration without treatment. They would overdose within a year. It absolutely makes me so angry I can’t express in words how mad I get.
For a number of years I did heroin and was able to quit with the aid of marijuana. But that was 20 years ago and I was a lot younger. Then sadly I fell in love with a young lady who was doing heroin which led me back to doing crack cocaine and meth. I thank God that I got caught and didn’t get back to doing heroin.
On a daily basis I talk to a lot of inmates in here who could truly inspire the next generation who will simply return to using heroin when they are released. The new wonder drug they are pushing for addicts now is Vivitrol. When taking Vivitrol, it does not allow the user to feel the effects of their heroin. It only lasts for 30 days and is extremely expensive. It becomes cost prohibitive to use after the treatment program ends.
It’s my opinion that Judges and Prosecutors use the Vivitrol as a “Feel good” program to show they are trying to do something. Folks let me help you out, jail and prison is not the answer in these cases. Rehab facilities, stemming the flow of illegal immigration that flood the Country with cheap heroin along with stopping the drugs from the Middle East are the answer.
Parenting our children, mental health and addiction counselors are the front line soldiers in this battle. Stop gap measures like jail, prison and probation only create more red tape and add bureaucracy to the war.
I’m a 50 year old white male addict who knows firsthand what can and will happen to anyone exposed to even the smallest amount of heroin, addiction and DEATH are the only results. Forget it, leave it alone, don’t walk, run away from it as fast as you can. Wake up, this drug is an epidemic.
For the sake of your family, friends and community get involved in this war. Fight this drug with all your resources. If you think cancer or AIDS are horrible, give heroin another generation and you will see genocide in action. Take it from a Junkie, I know it firsthand.
