Grades 1-5Heroin Prevention
The Robert Crown Center for Health Education (RCC) in partnership with the Reed Hruby Foundation and the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University is developing one of the world’s first heroin education and prevention programs. The goal of the program is to stop the growing trend of heroin abuse across America.
Why is the RCC Reed Hruby Heroin Prevention Project so vital?
What the research found:
- More than one third of the research sample began using heroin while they were in high school; those who used in high school were from all socioeconomic groups.
- There is a substantial lack of knowledge about the relationship between subscription pain pill abuse and heroin use.
What the research* found:
- The majority of heroin interviewees had little or no education regarding heroin use and dependency.
- There is a substantial lack of awareness among parents, schools, and the community at large that youth heroin use is a problem in suburban counties.
- There is a substantial lack of understanding about how heroin affects the body, the rapid progression from experimentation to dependence.
- All of the interviewees first initiated use of heroin by inhalation, commonly known as “snorting” or “sniffing” heroin. Most thought that heroin inhalation was less addictive or not at all addictive.
- Most reported that their heroin use provided some relief from anxiety, worries or problems.
- Many who used heroin became addicted quickly after initiation but dependency was generally pointed out by another person.
- Interviewees thought the withdrawal symptoms indicated they had the flu or some other illness.
- Several of the interviewees had been hospitalized for a serious event related to drug use including endocarditis, abscesses at the injection site, cellulitis and other infections.
- About one third of the sample experienced at least one overdose. While much of the attention in on fatal overdoses, non-fatal overdoses are also problematic because the lack of oxygen may cause significant brain injuries.
- Many left educational programs due to heroin dependency.
- Many experienced periods of homelessness due to their drug use.
- Several interviewees indicated that heroin seems like a cheap high at first, but as tolerance develops, the costs become staggering.
- About 75% of the research interviewees committed some type of theft to fund their use, including theft from parents, shoplifting, and burglaries.
- More than 70% of the sample reported an arrest after becoming dependent on heroin.
*All the research participants had a history of heroin use.
Source: RCC Reed Hruby Heroin Prevention Project/IL Consortium on Drug Policy
Read the Research: Understanding Suburban Heroin Use
Read the Research Executive Summary: Understanding Suburban Heroin Use
What the research participants had to say:
“I was not a big risk taker as a kid. They can’t picture me using heroin. My mom was putting ribbons in my hair in fifth grade and curling my hair.”
“I thought I was smart enough that I was not going to let myself become ‘that guy.’ I was just going to try it and then walk away. It" doesn’t matter if you are a boy or girl, short or tall, black or white. Your chances of just walking away – it’s not going to work.”
What the research* participants had to say
“I didn’t use heroin first – I broke my foot and I was out of pain in like 2 weeks, but he (the doctor) kept me on Vicodin for 8 months. I kept calling for refills and he kept giving them to me. I didn’t know it was addicting. I figured it was safe because it was from a doctor and he kept giving it to me.”
“When I was 12, my mom had 3 bottles of pain pills left over and I took them all. I took them while I was drinking because that is what my sister’s friend told me to do.”
“My older sister’s friend – the one that told me to take the pills – died of an overdose to heroin.”
“The people that I knew in high school that used heroin all got addicted.”
“I overdosed. She didn’t take me to the hospital. She kept me in the car. She waited in the back of the hospital parking lot and my pulse was really weak and then it stopped and she was going to take me in, but it came back. And I came to.”
“School started out as important to me and then it was school and drugs and then just drugs.”
“My folks never checked my eyes, searched my room. Nothing. My folks thought it was a onetime thing. I don’t think that they thought I would do it again. I thought that I hid it well.”
“In junior high I always wanted to be popular. I was a cheerleader and I had friends and I always wanted to be accepted and I kinda wasn’t.”
“And then there was the day that it clicked that we were using, and got sick when we didn’t use one day. And I lost my job and then we had no money and we couldn’t use and then we got really sick and we were like ‘oh, we gotta do anything we can to get it’ and we didn’t know we were sick from the heroin. “
“I stole from my house and we broke into a house. I feel horrible to this day that I did that but in the moment, I didn’t care. I needed to do what I did to get the heroin.”
“Heroin made me feel real mellow like I had not a care in the world. I had a lot of ‘what am I doing with my life’ and physical pain that I was covering up.”
“I use heroin because it numbs me to pain – bigger pain. It does not make me worry about injustice in the world.”
“If I knew about withdrawal, I would not have done it. If I knew, I would never have used. If they could show people this, what it is like – I think people might not use.”
*All the research participants had a history of heroin use.
Source: RCC Reed Hruby Heroin Prevention Project/IL Consortium on Drug Policy
Read the Research: Understanding Suburban Heroin Use
Read the Research Executive Summary: Understanding Suburban Heroin Use
RCC CEO Contributes as Panelist in Congresswoman Judy Biggert’s Forum on Heroin
Congresswoman Judy Biggert invited RCC CEO Kathleen Burke to serve as a panelist in a forum to address the rise in heroin use among suburban teenagers. The Heroin Education Forum was held at North Central College in Naperville on July 16 at the Wentz Concert Hall. The event gave parents information they need to safeguard their children regarding this public health crisis. Earlier this year, Congresswoman Biggert visited the Robert Crown Center to learn more about the RCC heroin prevention education initiative.
Congresswoman Biggert visits the Robert Crown Center
RCC Contributes to Lake County Roundtable
Kathleen Burke, CEO participated in a roundtable discussion on the rising use of heroin in Lake County and surrounding suburbs at the invitation of U.S. Representative Bob Dold.
The Robert Crown Center participated in a roundtable discussion on the rising use of heroin in Lake County and surrounding suburbs at the invitation of U.S. Representative Bob Dold of Kenilworth. CEO Kathleen Burke shared details about the RCC Heroin Prevention Project currently being developed at the Center. She presented research findings from the initial part of the project, conducted by Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy. The research shows that heroin users are typically young, white suburban residents who have little knowledge about the drug when they first use it or of its effects after short term use. The study noted that users often substituted heroin after becoming addicted to pain medications or used it to “come down” after cocaine highs.
Burke noted that the research confirmed the theory that successful prevention and education efforts must be comprehensive and acknowledge the pain or dysfunction young people are trying to escape through drug use. The RCC Heroin Prevention project is grateful to the many professional and community volunteers contributing to the educational intervention design. This process is scheduled for completion in April of 2012.
The Hruby family of Burr Ridge reached out to RCC after experiencing their own personal heroin tragedy. Reed Hruby, grandson of Roger and Nadeane Hruby, lost his battle with heroin addiction and recovery in July, 2008. The Hruby’s aren’t alone. Due to low cost and high purity levels, thousands of high school and college- age students across the nation are experimenting with the drug unaware of the high propensity for addiction and resulting death. In memory of Reed, The Hruby family made a large initial donation and commitment to form an education effort aimed at reducing heroin’s deadly hold on young people.
As a result of the donation, RCC formed a partnership with the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy, a research institute housed at Roosevelt University’s Institute for Metropolitan Affairs. The Consortium’s co-founder and director, Kathie Kane-Willis, worked with RCC educators on a three-year strategy to develop and implement a heroin use prevention program. The first year of the initiative is devoted to research, the second to content development and the third year educators will launch the education strategy, evaluate its effectiveness and submit it for peer review.