This thread discusses the Content article:
What's in a name?I found your comments on the heroin epidemic hitting the South Shore interesting. I agree that many communities are in denial about the epidemic. However, it is not just the large cities like Brockton, but smaller communities like Whitman. A Whitman resident and heroin addict cheated me and others out of thousands of dollars to feed his sad habit before overdosing in his Whitman home on the horrible drug. I new nothing of this epidemic until I encountered this charming and formerly hard-working individual who had a promising career and a young family.
Every week the Whitman police log is filled with blurbs about hypodermic needles being found in the streets. After this horrible incident happened to me and my family, I began reading more and more about how heroin addiction is taking over the lives of (mostly young) people in virtually every suburban community. It affects everyone in some way. The drug is cheap, extremely addictive, and plentiful.
A friend who works in a local hospital told me that they see several dead-on-arrival cases of heroin overdoses a week -- that is several each week! Why don't more people know about this?
The bright side to my problem is that I've been able to open a dialog with my own children about how drugs hurt people, how they take over your life, and how they make you do things that you wouldn't otherwise do. It is sad to me that I have to explain to a 9 year old how someone could take our hard-earned money. If it keeps him from trying drugs when he's older, it's worth it!
Please continue to spread the word. This is a battle that must be won.
