Thank you to everyone who participated. View the final project here
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death Sunday, which authorities believe was a result of a heroin overdose, shocked his friends and fans, many of whom publicly wondered: “How could this have happened?” – but according to a recent study, heroin use is growing more common in the US, and recovering from the potentially lethal drug remains extremely difficult.
A recent survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that the use of heroin jumped 102% between 2002 and 2012. In 2012, about 669,000 people reported using heroin at some point in the year. Roughly 467,000 of those were considered heroin-dependent – more than double the number in 2002. The heroin epidemic has become so pervasive, that Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, spent his entire 34-minute State of the State address this year discussing a “full-blown heroin crisis.”
Recovery is possible, but extremely difficult. Hoffman had been clean for 23 years before he relapsed, and his experience is not uncommon.
"Someone with opiate addiction, they are doing pushups their whole lives," Dr Drew Pinsky told HLN Monday. "And they must work on it all the time. And even working on it, there's a high probability of relapse.”
With so much attention being focused on heroin addiction, we want to hear from those who have experienced it firsthand.
Tell us:
- In a recent piece in the Atlantic, Jeff Deeny, a recovering addict wrote that Hoffman’s death reminded him to remain vigilant in maintaining [his] mental health. How do high profile overdoses, like Hoffman's and Glee’s Corey Monteith affect you?
- What do you make of the fact that Hoffman was 23 years clean and then went back to drugs? Can you explain the pull of addiction to an audience who might not otherwise understand its power?
- Finally, if you had one piece of advice for current addicts considering recovery, what would it be?
Submit your answers below and we'll featured selected responses on the Guardian. Please contact Ruth Spencer with any questions. For all responses published, the Guardian will only publish your first name. Your email address will remain private.
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