Many experts would agree that heroin addiction has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. This particular drug addiction, which is also present in West Palm Beach, can cause fatal overdoses and other serious health consequences . Since prevention is always preferable, it’s worth investigating the causes of such widespread drug abuse. One of the major factors driving the heroin addiction is actually opioid painkillers, which doctors can legally prescribe for patients with acute or chronic conditions.
Some health advocates have called upon doctors to prescribe powerful painkillers more carefully or to monitor their patients for signs of drug dependence and abuse. This is because some patients become addicted to legally prescribed narcotics. Consequently, opioid addiction can lead to heroin addiction when the individual can no longer afford or is no longer prescribed opioids. Getting heroin on the street produces the same sense of euphoria and it’s much cheaper. It also increases the user’s risk of dying from an overdose, contracting an infectious disease, or suffering other dire health consequences.
