Many people believe that heroin will never play a role in their life, or their lives of their family. These same people would be shocked to know just how prevalent heroin abuse and heroin addiction are throughout the United States in the 21st century.
Consider the following important heroin statistics concerning the sale, use and fallout of this incredibly dangerous drug.
Heroin Stats You Should Know
The following heroin facts and statistics have been gathered from the United States government and top medical research facilities around the world.
- Although the overall rate of teen heroin abuse is declining, 2 out of every 100 12th graders surveyed reported using heroin at least once during their high school years.
- Over 29% of all 12th grade boys and girls surveyed said that heroin was “easy to obtain” in and around their school.
- The average age of a first time heroin user in 2009 was 20.7 years old – much younger than in past decades.
- Over 3.8 million people in the United States have said that they have used heroin at least once during their lives.
- In the American prison system, the rates of heroin use are astounding, with over 23% of all state prisoners and 17% of all Federal prisoners admitted current heroin users.
- In 2005, there were 1.5 million emergency room visits that took place as a result of drug abuse or drug overdose. Of these, over 10% came as a result of heroin use or heroin overdose.
- The average heroin addict spends between $150 and $200 per day to support their drug habit.
- The Drug Abuse Warning Network (WARN) reported in 2008 that over 51% of all accidental deaths that occurred as a result of drug abuse involved heroin use.
Facts about Heroin Addiction Treatment
Of all the individuals currently living with heroin addiction, it is sad to report that only a small percentage (somewhere between 7% and 8%) ever receive professional treatment for their condition. If this is true for the United States, which has a very large number of treatment centers, how much for other countries that do not have much in the way of heroin treatment? The overwhelming majority of individuals do not get help from a heroin drug rehab center, and because they are unable or unwilling to admit that they have a problem, they fall deeper and deeper into the cycle of addiction to heroin. The more serious a heroin drug addiction becomes, the greater the chance of overdose or the contraction of a serious disease such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis (in the case of those shooting heroin with needles rather than smoking or snorting the drug).
