WE MUST FIND SOLUTION TO STOP HEROIN'S TOLL

I am writing in response to the recent articles written on the addiction to
heroin. They have really brought the reality to my eyes. The drug has
definitely spread to the suburbs. It will get the most innocent people, the
ones you least expect. It really is the saddest thing I have ever witnessed
in my life.

People are so concerned with things like pot and alcohol that they forget
about the big drugs like cocaine and heroin. I have watched my own friend
be taken down by the drug. She makes those late-night trips to the city;
she has those withdrawals that kill. The girl next door who used to play
Barbies and watch cartoons now cares only about getting one more high.

Not only does it kill the users, but it kills the people around them, the
ones who really care. Every time they snort or shoot up, it kills a part of
their family as well.

The question isn't why do these kids do it; it is how should we fix this
problem? What can we do as a society to help? We can't just push this away
or turn our heads the other way. Every time we push or turn, someone will
be shooting up and risking his or her life. We can't make the addicts quit;
they have to want to stop. We need to provide places for help. We need to
make it more known and face the truth.

There are programs given throughout elementary and junior high school, but
they don't give the "real deal." I have never heard of kids learning about
those withdrawals where people can feel like they are going to die, the
pain in their bones, or the kicking or the sleepless nights. Maybe they
need to focus on that and not make little jokes about kids smoking pot,
because it is not a joke at all.

These are real human beings we are talking about, not some little cartoon
in a book. Something needs to be done. There are people we don't hear about
dying every day from heroin overdoses. I know I don't want to see my friend
be one of those people.

Trisha Hawkins, Arlington Heights