“If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.” – Benjamin Alire Sáenz Opioids have been a topic of discussion for years, with both prescription and illicit opioids taking over lives. There has been loss, grief, and heartbreak surrounding this epidemic, and so many Tennessee residents have been affected. In 2022, […]
We all know the opioid epidemic takes so many lives each year. In just December of 2023 alone, almost 400 Tennesseans were hospitalized from an opioid overdose. This excludes heroin, which caused over 60 hospitalizations in the same timeframe. What about those fellow Volunteers who were not as fortunate? How many more numbers out there […]
“You can’t defeat the darkness by keeping it caged inside of you.” – Seth Adam Smith The fear of accidentally overdosing may be at the back of your mind, but the idea of having to go through withdrawal keeps you in the cycle of heroin use disorder. At least three Tennesseeans die from opioid-related overdoses […]
Substance use often doesn’t stem from wanting to “try drugs to look cool.” The truth behind it is more complex. Addiction can stem from loneliness. Trauma. Anxiety. Hardships. That feeling of having nowhere to turn to find relief – so, what could trying a dose of heroin hurt? All of a sudden, you have a […]
Your son has been acting differently, to the point he’s skipping classes and thinking of dropping out of college. You can’t help but wonder – what is going on? A quick search of his phone, when he’s not looking, reveals texts about taking speedballs. What is a speedball? Searching for answers, you see it is […]
As a parent or loved one who doesn’t take substances, it can be difficult to understand the reasons behind opioid use disorders. Why did my loved one start taking heroin? Who invented it in the first place; who would make something that causes such a powerful dependence? Not to mention, why would they make something […]
Have you tried to stop using heroin but nothing has seemed to work? Have you thought about Suboxone but fear how bad the withdrawal process will be? You are not alone, and many have taken the path successfully to stop their heroin use. Just over 1 out of 10 people in Tennessee were prescribed Suboxone […]
Do you use heroin but hold down a full-time job? Do you still put food on the table and care for your family? But at the same time, have there been days where you were too sick or too preoccupied with heroin and weren’t as present as you would have liked? Or perhaps you have […]
High school was finally over, and it was time to move on to bigger things. As you prepared for graduation, you decided to go to college at East Tennessee State University. Your dad lived down in the area so you wouldn’t have to pay for housing. Even though you had been estranged for the last […]
George was at a local bar on a Friday night. He had injected heroin earlier that day before he went to work. He was an electrician, and whatever money he made, he used to buy heroin. He felt he was always desperate for something to help ease the cravings and agitation that he was feeling. […]
