Prescription Drugs Gateway To Heroin Abuse In Lake County

By the time pain pills became a choice drug, Mentor resident Briana Hoppert had already been addicted to heroin, a drug with the same effects.

“I already had a tolerance to it, but I had a lot of my friends started heroin that way,” said Hoppert, a recovered addict of more than a year.

Heroin overdose deaths in the county have risen from two to 15 since 2008, according to the Lake County Coroner Office. And the most common gateway to heroin abuse is prescription drug abuse, said Ron Graham, deputy health commissioner of the Lake County General Health District.

What makes it such a problem is that it can happen anyone.

When people have surgery and are prescribed pain pills, such as oxycodone, to manage the pain, some people become addicted while recovering. After the pills run out, sometimes they turn to heroin, Graham said.

Heroin costs $15 on the street while pills cost $60.

While any age group can become addicted, heroin is hitting the 30-year-old and younger demographic the hardest, said Melanie Blasko, president of Lake Geauga Recovery Centers in Mentor.

“Young people think pain pills are safe because a doctor prescribed it, but it’s only a quick time before they get addicted to heroin,” Blasko said.

This demographic is the main group Blasko sees come through the centers, which treats drug addicts and alcoholics.

“It’s during the experimental phase in life,” Graham said, noting the popularity of pill parties among young people. “People are looking for an escape and, mixed with peer pressure, get medication to fit in. It’s easy to get addicted to opiates.”

The county has taken initiatives to quell the problem such as the Pharmaceutical Disposal program, where people can get rid of expired prescriptions at police stations throughout the county.

In Mentor, people can dispose of their prescriptions at the Mentor Police Department.

“If you get it out of the house, kids can get introduced,” Graham said.

More in the series:

Heroin Arrests On The Rise In Mentor, Lake County

‘The Point Of Desperation:’ From Rock Bottom To Recovery

5 Hints Your Loved One May Be A Heroin Addict

Desire To Quit First Step In Drug Addiction Recovery