The Faces of Heroin

            Ohio has the highest overdose rate in the United States. Overdoses and deaths have risen within the last five years and are still on the rise. People are losing family members due the mixing of fentanyl with heroin.

In 2016, 47 people died of accidental drug overdose in Portage county. That number has risen from 5 back in 2000.

Hannah Good, 22, is a senior at Kent State. She has encountered drug addicts and alcoholics for a good portion of her life. Her family is deeply affected by the heroin epidemic. Out of her four cousins, two of them have been addicted to heroin.

“I have four cousins, two boys and two girls, just like me and my siblings,” Good said. “And two of them, unfortunately… one has passed from a heroin overdose and one currently just relapsed. She went back to jail about two weeks ago. She is now either facing prison or is going to a rehab facility that is residential.”

Crystal is currently in the Summit County Jail on a number of charges, including pleading guilty to possession of heroin and possession of drug abuse instruments.

It is hard for Hannah to look out for her cousin Crystal’s needs, like food, gas, and car payment.

“Trust is a huge factor,” Good said. “Three weeks ago, she asked me for some money and I had to stop and think about why. She need money for a car payment and of course I want to be a good family member but a week later I found out I had bought heroin.”

If you are not an addict, it is difficult to understand how strong the mental pull of heroin can be.

Lance Pearce, 34, struggled with heroin addiction for seven years. He has completed 10 months of sobriety; his longest length of sobriety is 18 months.

Pearce says that when he was younger and in high school that he was the popular party kid. Parties were always held at his house in Akron.

“Gateway drugs is where it all started,” Pearce said. “I’ve been a pothead my whole life. Weed was like an oxygen to me. That’s what I did from the second I woke up.”

Pearce said that his twenties were fun and he got to do what he wanted with no consequences. He said a girlfriend from a few years ago and he became physically addicted to OxyContin. They abused the substance daily until they ran out.

Pearce said that his twenties were fun and he got to do what he wanted with no consequences. He said a girlfriend from a few years ago and he became physically addicted to OxyContin. They abused the substance daily until they ran out.

“I remember the first time I woke up dope sick. I had no clue what it was. I felt like crap,” Pearce said. “I couldn’t stop sneezing and I had the chills. Me and her couldn’t get out of bed. After that I got OxyCodone or Percocet. I can’t remember which one. Opiates for me, anyway I can get them, I knew that when I would take them I would feel better.”

Heroin addicts are often jailed or placed in rehab for their addiction. Many stay sober for a short period of time before relapsing back into their old ways. The story was the same for Pearce.

“I’ve been through like six different treatment centers. I’ve been in detox 13 or 14 times,” Pearce said. “I’ve been to every psych ward in Akron. It’s just amazing the lengths you’ll go for this.”

Many addicts become addicted to heroin because of opioid pain medication prescribed to them by a doctor. That’s what happened to Hannah Good’s cousin, Joe, who started using in 2007. 

“How it started basically is he (Joe) was prescribed different opioid pain medications,” Good said about her cousin. “He was hit by a semi when he was really little and he also set his entire body on fire when he was little. He was playing with a lighter and his father raced cars. There were giant drums of gasoline in the back and it completely exploded. Ever since then he’s been on different pills since then because he had to have skin grafts and all that.”

Joe died in 2014. His younger sister, Crystal, saw him as a role model, even through addiction. Crystal had been sober for about a year and half before recently relapsing.

“We got her back on her feet,” Good said. I helped her get her license. We were working on getting her GED together. Unfortunately, when an addict gets back from rehab, it’s really hard for them because they have to completely cut ties with everyone from before. All the friends that were users, if they hang out with them, they’re going to end up at square one and that’s basically what happened.”

Hannah sees heroin addiction as a mental illness rather than as a crime. She wants others to see it that way too.

“They really need help and they need someone to reach out to them and to be someone to be stable for them. They need someone who’s almost mean to them in a way like hey, you cannot make this choice and I will help you every ounce of the way, but the second you make this choice you’re not going to see me anymore”, Good said. “That’s important because I think a lot of people that want to help addicts end up being enablers.”

Being an addict takes away from families and relationships not only emotionally, but legally as well. Pearce couldn’t see his son until he got sober. During his 18-month-long sobriety, he caught up on all of his child support and is now able to have his son back in his life.

“I really missed out on some of those early years. I really hate talking about it but I can’t talk about what’s going on in my life without talking about him,” Pearce said. “He’s amazing.”