The epidemic here at home: heroin

Miranda Morissette, Crier Staff

We see it in the news, and in our very own backyards… Heroin. Heroin is everywhere, in the streets and in our homes. Being a proud aunt of a two-year-old niece, I am terrified to take her to our local park in fear of her finding the needles that addicts use to shoot up.

Heroin has been a growing problem for almost two years now. In 2015 alone, New Hampshire set a record for overdose fatalities. With this information, you can see how we are at war with an enemy that someone chooses to take.

Heroin is one of the most addictive substances out there; it takes only once for the user to become hooked. With that one time comes the fast descent into addiction which means the end of life as anyone would know it. I hate to see anyone suffer and the ways these addicts suffer makes my heart melt with sadness and empathy. So what should we do? What can I do?

I believe that as a community and as an individual we have a duty to help those affected by this terrible substance. Not only should we as a community help those affected, but the families that are affected as well. They are going through as much suffering as the addict suffers.

There should be more funding for addiction counseling, and more rehab centers that are easily accessible to those who need it the most. There should also be more counseling programs for the families affected by heroin.

I want to one day take my niece to the park without the fear of her finding those needles. This is our time, and our time to act against this brutal and senseless enemy. We as a community can fight against heroin.

We just have to act.