Heroin addiction is a problem that increases in scope in the United States every year. People are younger and younger at the time of their first use of the drug and the percentage of new clients at drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers claiming heroin as their drug of choice is on the rise as well.

Compared to the heroin addiction problem in Swansea in Britain, the United States has its H issues under control. A new film out that documents the heroin use and abuse in Swansea is blowing everyone away, both in Britain and on this side of the pond.

The documentary, called “Swansea Love Story,” claims that there has been a 180 percent increase in the number of heroin users and addicts in Swansea over the four years that the film was made. The largest portion of the population who become new users? Young people.

This number is in keeping with what the United States is seeing at least. A decade ago, the average age of first time use of heroin in the United States was 26. Now, it’s closer to 21. No longer is heroin something that only scary people use or full blown drug addicts with a long history of abuse. It’s now a drug of experimentation, often used in high school and college.

Says the filmmakers about their journey in making the film:

“It used to be one of the biggest ports in the world, but when Margaret Thatcher helped bring about the end of heavy industry in Britain, the social implications for places like Swansea were dire.

“Funnily enough, it was Thatcher who signed off on a program that meant heroin addicts would be given access to free, sterile needles. This was after she’d closed down the mines, docks, and factories. Mass unemployment and heroin addiction have always made fine bedfellows.

“And so we went to Swansea and lived with a gang of young addicts for a few months and found out just why addiction to heroin in Britain continues to rise at such an alarming rate.

“We found out about love, death, the organized sexual abuse of children and the collapse of the family. We stumbled into a race riot, met old sailors, and listened to a wonderful Welsh male choir. We learned about why dragging yourself out of addiction is such a struggle, especially if you’re a teenager who’s the product of two generations of heroin addicts and whose great-grandfathers were miners, sailors, and steelworkers.”

Want to check out a piece of Swansea Love Story and see for yourself? It’s on the VBS.TV broadband site and also highlighted on CNN.

If you or someone you love is addicted to heroin, help is available. You don’t have to try to go through heroin detox alone and then “white knuckle” it through early recovery and pray that you don’t relapse. Heroin addiction is a medical issue and it requires medical treatment. Contact The Canyon to learn more about heroin detox, heroin addiction treatment and all the options you have to start a new life without drugs.

Tags: heroin addiction, heroin addiction treatment, heroin detox, heroin rehab, heroin treatment

   

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