Heroin

By: Carol Maxym, Ph.D.

Heroin Addiction Isn’t Anything New or Cool—no matter who is the addict

I am sorry about the death of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

I am sorry he didn’t manage to kick his heroin addiction. I am more sorry for all the other people who died yesterday and today and will die tomorrow because of heroin addiction. One article I read also talked about another actor, Cory Monteith, who died of an accidental overdose of heroin and alcohol. I am sorry for the media treating this as somehow different from another death of another addict. I am sorry for the families of the addicts who do not choose treatment and recovery instead of addiction.

Whether the individual be famous or rich or connected or “just” someone’s son or wife or sister or friend, addiction is ugly. Addiction is death at some point. Death from addiction is not changed because someone was famous. I rather think Hoffman, in a lucid moment, probably would have agreed. Let us be clear, death from overdose is death from overdose. Let us not choose to be seduced into thinking there is anything romantic or more tragic because the dead addict was a famous actor. Please let us not do that!

Addiction is mainly accidental. Can’t think of anyone who sets out to get addicted.

Addiction happens, mainly when the person is sure he/she can’t/won’t get addicted. It’s the arrogance of addiction, the grandiosity of addiction, the lies of addiction. Addiction is always tragic. Always. Addiction is never pretty or cool. Never.

Let us mourn for Hoffman. Let us mourn for all those whose addictions got started on prescription pain killers. Prescription pain killers that were prescribed when Tylenol would have sufficed, that were prescribed in quantity instead of in twos or fours, prescriptions that were refilled when they should not have been, for the callousness of those who choose to profit from getting people addicted because they will make money.

I remember going to the ER with a friend a few years ago. She was very sick, but NOT in pain. And yet, the first thing she was asked when she arrived was if she was in pain and if she wanted pain medication. Painkillers, narcotic, addictive painkillers were really pushed on her. You know, it’s easier to get addictive prescription pain killers than it is to get antibiotics (because we have lots of people addicted to Z-paks?).

Let us take this death to think about all the hundreds and thousands of deaths from addiction. Let us not romanticize this death. There is nothing romantic about heroin addiction or death from “bad” heroin or an overdose. It’s not a pretty way to die. It leaves so many people grieving, wondering if they could have done something.

Can you do something when you know someone is addicted—whether to heroin, prescription medications, cocaine, alcohol, prescription stimulants or other forms of methamphetamines? Yes. Yes. Yes. Confront. Get help. Do an intervention. Intervene. Don’t give up on the addict who has given up on himself/herself.