Is a heroin overdose painful?

I really don't know the answer to that question all I know is that Jonathan is gone two and a half years today and I am "ANGRY" - I am angry that he really isn't coming home. He didn't just go off to college, he didn't travel the world, he hasn't called in a very long time; and the memory's are coming back, the painful one's of the day that changed my life as a mother forever!

A friend of mine were conversing the other day, what she said to me stunned me, as she has lost a child as well. I am grateful that we spoke that day. This is what she said.

Anger is part of the grief you feel, along with sadness, frustration and guilt. Those feelings are all normal and eventually the grief will fade and become part of who you are!

I hope someday soon, I will be far along enough in my journey to be able to take her words and apply them to my feelings. Right now, I don't want this to be part of who I am; I want my baby back, my son that wasn't meant to die. Maybe the answer is yes it is painful to overdose on heroin when a mother has to loose her son to a senseless accidental overdose. I would not wish this new journey I follow on anyone
_______________________________________________________________
I found this article and the link is below! The verb age is a tad bit raw, just saying, just in case.


All that I know on the subject I know first hand... I'm a recovering heroin addict, and have, on more than one occasion, overdosed. From pricking the skin, jacking it and then finally mainlining it you feel little pain... about six or seven seconds later a rapturous rush comes over you like never before amazing too amazing
It's at that point that you think

"Whoa... maybe I did a little too much..."

Unfortunately, that's all you have time to think... now what you don't know is that you've passed out from the drugs unrelenting assault on your entire system... soon your breathing will slow and eventually you're heart will stop.

Very, very painless "And then you're dead! Perfect and painless!" In fact the bliss that one would feel before they died of a heroin overdose would be immense not painful.

But let's roll back to right after you shot up and got that explosive rush:

One of your buddies showed up and saw you barely breathing on the bathroom floor..

Being the smart guy that he is, he called EMS and now they've got you in the back of the truck while they prep that' god-awful narcotic antagonist that's about to go it you. At this point you're still barely breathing, drawing shallow, gurgley breaths while drool dribbles out one side of your mouth. You're extremities have turned purple and hair is now completely matted down with sweat. It is now time for them to administer the shot. Within seconds you reawaken to find yourself in a state of utter confusion and sudden, horrendous agony.  You're heart is racing and nausea sets in... As you spew vomit into the bucket the EMS has provided you, all the while the only thing going through your mind at this point is, "Holy Sh*t... I went from feeling amazing to truly wanting to die... how the H*LL did this happen?"

Honestly, that is the worst pain in the world when they bring you back from an overdose it's countering the effects of a drug that was made to treat the pains of certain amputees or grievously injured men during the war (a.k.a. morphine).

So, in conclusion, an overdose from heroin is not painful being revived most definitely is and if one should find themselves experiencing that pain they should consider themselves lucky! Credit to the above posting was found on WIKIANSWERS
Like I stated above, I would not wish this journey of mine on anyone. Mom's hug and talk to your kids. Kids, hug and talk to your mother, stay safe make good choices -- do the right thing. Peace to you my angel, Peace to you today!

Thank you Chrystal

I remember when we spoke one day over 2 years ago maybe you don't remember me. That is okay! So many mother's with tears. I remember when my daughter attended your sons funeral and how sad she was, then just few month's later my daughter had to attend her brother's funeral.

I am sorry for your loss. I am grateful for all you have done to speak out about this horrific tragedy.

Gone to soon, they are all gone to soon!

Scroll down to read the rest of the story!

Visit Nick's website
Staring up at the new billboard she had installed on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, Chrystal Beinlich starts to cry.

"If this doesn't get their attention, I don't know what will," the Lincolnshire mother says, as she wipes a tear off her cheek and a friend wraps an arm around her shoulder. "If we have to be in people's faces, we will."

The billboard, which went up Monday, urges parents to talk to their children about heroin and offers free drug-testing kits at nickbeinlich.com. It's Beinlich's latest effort to educate parents about heroin's growing presence in the suburbs, which has been her mission since her 18-year-old son, Nick, died of an overdose in 2007.

Getting parents' attention has been difficult and frustrating, she said, because of a prevalent not-my-kid mindset.

Parents took every precaution to protect their children from H1N1 swine flu, which killed 76 people statewide this year. Yet, heroin killed more than 100 people in the suburbs alone in 2009 and Beinlich said it seems as if hardly anyone blinked. Drug educational forums put on by several suburban high schools and police departments drew only a few dozen people each.

"There's blood running in the streets, but no one's paying attention. They just walk over it like it's a puddle," said Lea Minalga, a Geneva mom whose son is a recovering heroin addict. She now runs Hearts of Hope, a group that helps families deal with drug addiction. "I (tell parents), 'Do you understand that unless you're prepared, this could happen to you?' They think it can't happen to them, so they tune out."

The Rest of the Story!

Tribune Article Part II "The unrelenting power of Heroin

My son did not know! I did not know.

Do your children know how powerful Herion is an how available it is in your own backyard?
This is a sad situation, get yourself involved in your community, make a difference this coming new year!


"This is how powerful heroin is."Street Drugs A Drug Identification Guide

In September 2007, 18-year-old Nick Beinlich overdosed on it in the Buffalo Grove home of his Stevenson High School classmate Matt McGovern and never regained consciousness, dying five days later.

Four months later, River Forest police found McGovern in a shopping center parking lot, slumped over the steering wheel of his car with a needle dangling from his arm.

Just think about that. A friend essentially died in his house, and that didn't stop McGovern from using. It wasn't enough to scare him straight, wasn't enough to shame him straight, wasn't enough to force him to face his addiction.

A friend essentially died in his house, and yet, McGovern went back to heroin. Just think about that.

But the power of heroin didn't stop there.

In September 2008, another Stevenson friend of McGovern's, 18-year-old Phil Capone of Vernon Hills almost died of an overdose, saved only because his mother found him unconscious in time to summon medical help.

Then in April this year, another Stevenson friend, 19-year-old Eddie Sivkov of Buffalo Grove, died on the floor of his bathroom a few months after completing a two-week rehab program.

And two months after that, Lincolnshire police arrested McGovern and charged him with possession of heroin after an auto accident. The 20-year-old driver of the car in which McGovern was riding also was allegedly high on heroin.

Two months after a second friend had died. Less than a year after a third friend almost died. And if the police account is correct, McGovern was still on heroin.

If you're clean, you ask yourself, how could that be? Two high school friends die. Another almost dies. You're arrested once. With all of that happening, who in his right mind would still be using? How could that be?

The answer, unfortunately, is simple. Someone with a heroin addiction isn't in his right mind.

As Jamie Sotonoff's reports sharply described last week, we're facing an epidemic of heroin abuse in the suburbs and in our schools. And it's leaving death and shattered lives in its wake.

Much more needs to be done to combat it. More attention and more funding is needed to try to get addicts off it.

But as McGovern's story clearly illustrates, the most effective way to get off heroin is to never get on it in the first place.

That's a message our community and our schools and parents need to underscore ~ read the article

Buffalo Grove Community Forum – Drug Abuse October 7, 2009

Found on the Web --- Village of Buffalo Grove Website
Buffalo Grove Community Forum – Drug Abuse

The Buffalo Grove School Safety Partnership is joining forces with Stevenson and Buffalo Grove High Schools to sponsor a community-forum on drug abuse at 7:00 pm, Wednesday, October 7, 2009. The forum will be held in Buffalo Grove High School’s theater at 1100 W. Dundee Road, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089. This event is part of a regional effort to increase awareness and understanding about illicit drug activity, particularly the use of heroin, and its consequences to parents of high school-aged students.

Anyone interested in attending the forum is asked to RSVP please visit the link as you need to call or Email the Buffalo Grove Police Commander, Steve Husak.

Heroin is alive and living in Lake County, IL.

After over one and a half years ~ COMMUNITY FORUM on Drug Awareness & Heroin

~ Stay on track don't fall off the horse and lose sight of the real issue
~ you can bet on it ~ "Heroin is alive and living in Lake County, IL..

I copied and pasted these article's ~ as I am so tired of waiting for this to awakening withing our community to happen - to many children are not with us today so please ~ make sure you RSVP as well - read the rules!
If you are in the vicinity ~ please take some time out of your day to listen, learn & educate yourselves.

Pioneer Local - Today ~ June 2, 2009
By RONNIE WACHTER rwachter@pioneerlocal.com

The Buffalo Grove School Safety Partnership, in conjunction with Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools, will hold a community forum Thursday to address the topic of drug abuse in the area.

The event is part of a regional effort to increase the awareness and understanding of drug activity and its consequences to parents of high school age students.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. at the Buffalo Grove Park District's Alcott Center, 530 Bernard Drive, and will place special emphasis on heroin abuse.

Heroin and prescription drug overdoses throughout the area have become a widespread and persistent public safety problem that creates serious personal, social and economic consequences for adolescents, their families and the community.

"We're directing this at parents of high school students, upper grades," Buffalo Grove police Cmdr. Steve Husak said. "There have been a few overdoses and other issues that have been on the rise in the last year."

"The walls need to be put up," said Lisa Stone, a Buffalo Grove trustee who helped organize the meeting because of her concern about heroin use in the community. "It's the most powerful drug on our planet."

Stone said Friday that she would like to see Buffalo Grove become known as the No. 1 community in Illinois in the fight against heroin, as its Police Department is known as a leader in the fight against drunken driving.

The program will feature presentations by:

• Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group's regional drug task force

• Lake County Coroner's Office

• Lake County States Attorney's Office

• Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory.

The public is invited, and can R.S.V.P at the village of Buffalo Grove Web site vbg.org by following the instructions on the community forum announcement, or by e-mailing Husak at shusak@vbg.org

Good Luck ~ May "God" bless you all - vonna ~

R.I.P. now my son ~ 

Heroin ~ 40% of high school seniors do not believe that there is a great risk in trying heroin.

It's never to late ~ I found this on the web today ~

Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting to snorting or smoking heroin because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed-pod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Street names associated with heroin include "smack," "H," "skag," and "junk." Other names may refer to types of heroin produced in a specific geographical area, such as "Mexican black tar."

Your child's High School Graduation is just around the corner they will be gone from home by summer's end.

Did you know that ~

40% of high school seniors do not believe that there is a great risk in trying heroin.

If you suspect your child is using drugs get proactive; educate yourself to be armed with the facts, you fears will subside and you will know how to confront your child so they do hear you speak!

Listen To Those Who Have Been Through It!~ -------->

"The longer you wait to speak to your child, that day may come where you will speak no more!" ~ jv

TAKE ACTION & visit The Anti Drug get yourself educated!
Follow the Links on the front page

• Take Action
• Get Past the Fear
• Advice & Tips
• Conversations
• Get Help
  
  

Hit the RED ~ PANIC BUTTON
~ to find help in your community.
Find it at the top of this -----------------> page!

Well, just try walking in my shoes!

I don't believe in coincidence, that is just the way I feel, I was told by someone the other day I was crazy, unstable ~ Who me!

Well, just try walking in my shoes!

If you have lost a loved one and have not found Legacy Connect ~ I highly recommend you do so, it is a part of the Ning Network and is very easy to set up. Of course I am still at a stage of lurkness "so to speak"!

You are able to control your privacy settings, so of course at this moment I am still at a stage of lurkness "so to speak".

I check my email everyday, this one of the email's I received today ~ a day when I really needed to read this!

The article below is one of the many with information you may need to know!

By Russell Friedman and John W. James

For most people, the immediate response to the death of someone important to them is a sense of numbness. After that initial numbness wears off, the most common physiological reaction is a reduced ability to concentrate. The rest of the world goes out of focus. Nothing else is important.

It is normal and natural that your entire being is centered on what happened and your relationship with the person who died. The length of time that the reduced ability to concentrate lasts is individual and can vary from a few days to several months, and even longer. It is not a sign that there’s something wrong with you. The fact that the emotional impact of the death of that person has altered your day-to-day routines is very healthy. It would make no sense for you to not be affected by the death.

It is normal to drift out of focus in response to conscious or unconscious memories of the person who died. Please be gentle with yourself in allowing that your focus is not on the actions of life, but on your reactions to a death.

If you’re at work, you can take little “grief breaks” as needed. It’s a good idea to establish a safe person at work who you can talk to when and if you get overwhelmed. It’s also smart to have a phone pal you can call when the emotions keep you from concentrating. The breaks and chats will make you able to do the work you need to do.

Please keep in mind that it’s important to focus while driving a car. It’s not safe to drive with tears in your eyes. If need be, pull over. Allow yourself to have whatever emotions come up, and maybe call someone and talk for a while before you get back on the road.

When Your Heart Is Broken, Your Head Doesn’t Work Right

Along with not being able to concentrate, your thinking ability and judgment may be limited. That’s why grieving people are advised to be careful about making major life decisions in the aftermath of the death of someone important to them. To put it in simple terms, when your heart is broken, your head doesn’t work right. You must take care either not to make big decisions until you regain your ability to focus, or you must make sure you have people you trust to help you understand your choices and the consequences of what you decide.

There are other common physiological reactions to grief. Sleeping habits are often disrupted for an extended period of time. You may find yourself unable to sleep, or you may not be able to get out of bed. You can even go back and forth between those extremes. Eating patterns are also subject to confusion. You may not be able to eat at all, or you may not be able to stop. You can also ping-pong between those extremes. Sleeping and eating disruptions aren’t as common as the reduced ability to concentrate, but they can be really uncomfortable. If they happen, it also doesn’t mean you’re going crazy. It just means that your routines and habits are out of synch.

Another common grief reaction is best described as a roller coaster of emotions. It can be a wild ride, with tremendous emotional shifts. But, like concentration and the eating and sleeping issues, that roller coaster is one of the typical responses to the death of someone important to you. Don’t fight it, just go along for the ride, no matter how bumpy it might be. When it happens, it’s a good idea to call a friend, and talk about what you’re feeling. Talking about what you’re experiencing helps make sure you don’t trap your feelings inside.

Normal and Natural — Not Crazy

The reduced ability to concentrate; the disruption of sleeping and eating patterns; and the roller coaster of emotions are all normal and natural reactions to death. There is nothing crazy about them or you.

Those reactions usually diminish within time as you adapt to life without the person who died. But time doesn’t heal emotional wounds, nor does it complete anything that may have been left emotionally unfinished when the person died. Sometimes it’s just the feeling of wanting to have said one more “I love you and goodbye.” Sometimes it is a more complex set of communications that would include apologies, forgiveness, and significant emotional statements.

It is always helpful to discover and complete anything that was left unfinished. Doing so will allow you to have fond memories not turn painful. It will also help you remember your person the way you knew them in life. And it will help you continue a life of meaning and value, even though it is altered by the absence of he person who died.

Above all, allow yourself to be out of rhythm. As we said, be careful when you’re driving and be cautious when making major decisions. Be gentle with yourself as you make your re-entry back into the flow of your life. But don’t judge yourself harshly because you are having any or all of the reactions we mentioned.

Heroin will Steal your Soul ~

I found this on the web ~
Article Connection Newspapers

It is a pretty long read - but to me worth it ~

Heroin Will Steal Your Soul
Substance-abuse experts, doctor, address parents.
By Bonnie Hobbs
Thursday, March 12, 2009

Cynicism is an unpleasant way of telling the truth! Lillian Hellman

I am looking for a "Coach Handbag" and authentic "Coach Handbag" cheap - or should I say inexpensive for use of better terminology. I like to collect purses, you could say I have an addiction to purses!

As I searched the Internet I stumbled upon a forum a purse forum, an entire community that has millions posts in tons of informational threads.

Imagine a world and entire community just talking about purses, where to buy them, where to get the best deals, who to deal with, who not to deal with, the reviews, the statistics, the old & the new.

You need a purse fix, that certain brand name you just have to have, need to know what a fake purse looks like, it's all right there on this purse forum.

Prices keep going up - it truly is discouraging to tell you the truth. In order to get high quality that will last a life time, you are going to have to pay through the nose these days -

Almost, everyday I visit Dr. Keller's' blog, just to see what he is posting. I find his blog is well worth the read, and I actually start to worry about him when I do not see him post for a few days. I worry that he is too busy, this saddens me.

I did a little digging, and a little coping and pasting ~

Purses, drugs ~ prices going up ~ interesting yes?

The price of a gram of cocaine in the US soared 89 percent -- from $96.61 dollars to $182.73 dollars -- from January 2007 to September 2008, while the purity decreased 32.1%, from 67% to 46%.

Heroin is readily available in most large metropolitan areas and, increasingly, in some suburban and rural markets throughout the country, the abuse of heroin is increasing among young adults in a number of suburban and rural areas.

The Abuse of prescription narcotics as a precursor to heroin among adolescents is an emerging concern to law enforcement and public health officials.

…cocaine purity dropped during the same period from 67 percent to 46 percent

To increase profitability suppliers cut potency by mixing it with a wide variety of other substances -- an often dangerous practice.

Nonetheless key to remember: Cocaine kills, there is no safe amount of cocaine, you never know what you are getting/buying.

So now you have to spend more to die high; or maybe not quite high, if the amount is enough to kill you (or the adulterants a poisonous enough), but not quality cocaine enough to get a buzz on for you.

I don't think I need that purse anymore!

The Year is Here ~

~As Jonathan has left me to finish his journey here on earth, many of you know this has now become my mission to educate & spread the word so that if just one life is saved, these boys deaths shall not be in vain!

~I find it only fitting and respectful to celebrate lives lost, tragedy's suffered, sickness & health; and to be thankful we are here to support each other as one community of like in kind.

~I shall be lighting a candle in honor of my son as well as the other 5 Alumni from Stevenson High School, to honor & celebrate these lives lost so unnecessarily to dirty drugs.

Buffalo Grove Skate Park
Busch Grove Community Park
1000 N. Buffalo Grove Road
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089

Time:
7:30 pm Saturday November 29, 2008 - We will be congregating along the sidewalk ONLY ~ the park will be closed. Carpooling is highly recommended due to lack of No Parking.

Bring a candle with you!

Respectfully,
Vonna

Another drug-related death

Another drug-related death of a young man (in his 20s) this week (not to mention the gentleman in his 50s or the woman in her 30s, they are no less tragic and they also died drug-related deaths this week)

He died of heroin intoxication, abuse, over-use. What also stood out with this young man is that when we tested several items from his room for drug residue we came up with results that beg action or reaction. We found a dollar bill with heroin residue, cocaine residue on his dresser, cocaine and THC residue on a small scale in his room, and a part of a jeweler’s screwdriver with THC residue.

Youthful experimenting? To me it screams the need to get honest information repetitively out to the public (how do you get it to the youth of our community?). Among other important bits of information, that the heroin on our streets right now is potent and particularly deadly. We must develop and push prevention; we must develop and push treatment.

It will be work, hard work, but aren’t these folks worth it?

Another interesting article~

Another interesting post by Dr. Richard Keller with regards to his findings on Morphine overdose ~

Please click here if you would like to read the article ~

Lake County Daily Herald TODAY ~

Lake County law enforcement officials say they're seeing a disturbing trend: an increase in heroin traffic.

The evidence county officials point to is the amount of heroin seized and several overdose deaths so far this year.

Keith Frederick, deputy director of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group -- the county wide drug enforcement agency --said heroin traffic increased possibly because the drug is cheap enough for younger users to purchase.

"It's also becoming more popular because there are different ways of ingesting it," Frederick said. "You don't just have to snort it or use a syringe, so it's easier to use."

It costs $10 to $15 for a quick fix of the drug, he said. One gram is equal to about 15 doses.

So far this year, 20 grams of heroin have been seized in Lake County. Four grams were seized in January and February, but 16 grams were taken in the past two weeks.

That's below the 31 grams seized in Lake County in all of 2007, and roughly the same amount -- 21 grams -- as in 2006, Frederick said.

"It's something we are definitely keeping our eye on," he said. "It seems like it's becoming more popular out here."

Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said there's also been a spike in fatal heroin overdoses.

Five heroin-related deaths have been recorded in 2008, and 12 in the past six months, Keller said. In all, heroin overdoses accounted for 18 deaths in 2007 and 16 in 2006.

"I am really concerned," he said.

Just this week, two Fox Lake residents died from what is believed to be a heroin overdose. Keller said he's awaiting toxicology reports for an official cause.

Across the border in northern Cook County, Palatine Police Cmdr. Alan Stoeckel said cocaine and heroin were found at the scene of two separate deaths in the past three months. They also are waiting for toxicology results before announcing an official cause of death.

Frederick said the deaths may occur because users do not know the purity of heroin being consumed.

Chemicals are used to dilute heroin because the human body cannot handle ingesting the drug in its purest form, he said.

"When you get heroin, you essentially don't know what you are getting," he said. "It's like playing Russian Roulette because you aren't sure on the purity or what's been used to dilute it."

While heroin use may be on the rise in Lake County, state drug officials said it is dropping nationally and remaining constant in Illinois.

Tony Rapac, head of the Illinois MEG Directors and Task Force Commander Association, said dealers in Lake County are trying to move in on new territory after leaving other territories.

"This sounds like it's one or two counties," he said. "And, it's probably one or two groups trying to make inroads in there."

Quote per Dr. Keller on the article above

My intent of the longer quote I gave him was that if this is indeed a trend of increased heroin use and death it is concerning on many levels.

Beyond just the toll of the heroin itself, its use is associated with increased participation in crime and violence, certainly negatively impacting the community. To address this problem we need a multi pronged approach with targeted law enforcement, and social prevention programs with treatment availability, to mention just a few parts of the attack. We must also be mindful that this is but one of the many problems that need to be addressed, but if we look for commonalities in approaches we might be able work effectively using a broadened scope and work under a rubric of community healing and wellness beyond individual wellness.

Your comments are welcome ~ thank you...