5/10/90 - 10/10/03 May 10th, 1990, Eddie and I exchanged our vows with love sparkling in our eyes! Never had each of us felt the intense love that we felt for each other! For eight wonderful years, we lived as man and wife. Then one day...it changed. Eddie became addicted to heroin for 5 years. In a spiral of decline I lost my best friend, and husband, he lost his job and his self esteem ...and then his life! He would wake up feeling sick and spend the day stealing and begging for money to support his habit. He'd started taking the drug because it gave him pleasure - he'd get a tremendous high, an amazing rush and an escape from the world around him. Like many users he thought he was in control... A nightmare called heroin... Warning: Even a single dose of heroin can start a person on the road to addiction.. Even if you think someone close to you is on heroin...here are some of the warning signs: The “heroin addict look” : – blank expression, waxy complexion, dark circles under the eyes, sunken cheeks, excessive thinness, greasy hair... * Sweating * Dry mouth * Nausea * Vomiting * Increased urination * Track Marks in arms or legs * Itchy skin * Suppression of pain * Slowed breathing * Skin abscesses * Pinned Pupils- pupils literally the size of a pin head no matter how light or dark it is. * Nodding out- falling asleep at inappropriate times such as in the middle of a conversation. Taking drugs is not an answer. As difficult as it can be to confront one’s problems, the consequences that come with drug use are always worse than the problem one is trying to avoid when he or she begins to take drugs. And the long slide into hell that comes as a result of taking drugs is even worse. Heroin effects are not only physical but heroin effects are also of the emotional variety. Heroin effects are extremely detrimental to the health of the person addicted to heroin. DEATH is a strong word, but in the case of heroin effects it is the final destination. Heroin effects manifest themselves in three different forms.It attacks the body, the mind, and the spirit. #1)The body will begin to wither away, muscles will begin to atrophy, and the user will not be able to ingest or digest food correctly. #2)The mind will no longer function properly; the user will no longer make clear decision. #3)The inner peace of the heroin user will quickly slip through their fingers as they reach for more heroin. The drug that is creating their euphoric feeling as if nothing negative is happening, abuses the person as a whole. The person is deceived into believing that the heroin is not effecting them nearly as much as it truly is. The person may experience many different symptoms of the heroin effects. Before the body is effected, the MIND takes the first blow of heroin abuse. Immediately the heroin user can no longer view the world the same way he/she did before the first dose of the drug. Paranoia will set in right off the bat. Following that is the obsession to acquire more and more of the drug. Towards the final stages of heroin addiction the mind is so immersed in the addiction that the user can no longer tell RIGHT FROM WRONG! The only way to reverse theses heroin effects is through treatment. Heroin addiction is a disease Heroin effects are something that CAN BE fixed. The important part is to catch them in the early stages. Like any disease, it is most treatable at the onset of the addiction. Make the call before it is to late. Together we can destroy the heroin effects and build up the soul that lies within even the most heavily addicted person. Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious problem in America. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Street names for heroin include: Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulitis, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from heroin's depressing effects on respiration. In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may have additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, brain and HEART! This can cause infection or even DEATH. There is a broad range of treatment options for heroin addiction, including medications as well as behavioral therapies. Science has taught us that when medication treatment is integrated with other supportive services, patients are often able to stop heroin (or other opiate) use and return to more stable and productive lives. Go on. You know this is important. Make the call. You might be saving a life. It could be your own. Heroin Hotline: Sarah L. Moran Content Copyright 2003 & Beyond

At times like these it is SO EASY to keep asking *why*...to feel so forsaken...this little set just reminds us that we are NOT alone and no matter how great the pain, how tragic the events, HE suffers with us, HE UNDERSTANDS!