When the Heroin Epidemic Hits Close to Home

A recent Facebook post going wildly viral is showing just how awful the heroin epidemic in our area is.

A Union Beach man claimed he found a used hypodermic needle in the pouch pocket of a sweatshirt he bought in the Middletown, NJ Target last week. He said he alerted the store, and police were notified, but there's really no way of knowing where the needle came from.

It's no secret that heroin is EVERYWHERE at the Jersey Shore, but sometimes you forget how close it is. That's the Target I shop in. Talk about a reality check.

What's worse is that a store like that is always full of little kids, one of whom could have easily stuck their hand in the pouch of that sweatshirt and pulled out a dirty needle. That's not okay.

This crap is absolutely everywhere.

It's touched my family, the families of my friends, co-workers, and everyone in between. It touches all ages, races, classes, and religions. It's in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Heroin is an equal opportunity destroyer of life.

Oddly enough, it's almost two years ago to the day since I wrote an open letter to anyone thinking about trying heroin.

Addiction is a terrible thing, and I know plenty of people who have been able to get clean only to fall back into it again. It is scary, and heartbreaking, and as awful as it is for the person going through it, it's just as awful for the people who can only watch it happen and are completely helpless to stop it.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who have used heroin and never become addicted, but is it worth the risk? Is it worth it to hurt your family and friends, to waste your life, and to be a slave to the high?

That heroin euphoria isn't real. The escape you're seeking out is temporary. The addiction you'll battle is stronger than you realize. There's no good reason to try it, not matter how amazing the (awful) people you're hanging out with tell you it is.

Fun fact: Those awful drug-pushing types are likely miserable and lonely, and want people to be miserable and lonely with them. They are not good friends. You deserve better.

I don't know how to help the people already struggling with heroin addiction, but I do know we need to do our best to keep people from potentially becoming addicts. It's gotta stop.

You don't want to be the person so desperate for a fix that you get high in a store, then leave your nasty needle where a kid could find it. Be better.