Community said to play vital role fighting heroin

This is the second part in a special series on heroin and opioid use among teens in Riverdale. Read the first part here. 

Riverdale is one of countless neighborhoods throughout the country where heroin has started to take hold among some of its young residents. Experts say the path to heroin use often starts among more affluent teens who have the means to acquire opioid-based prescription drugs. When pills like Xanax or Percocet become too expensive or difficult to obtain, some teens will turn to heroin to feed their addiction. To all appearances, the problem has not reached epidemic proportions in Riverdale. But for teenagers who become users, and their families, the consequences can be life-changing.

One of those teenagers, “Tyler,” was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance in April. It was his second arrest within a space of six months, and he had continued to use heroin and other opioid-based drugs the entire time — even while attending a treatment clinic. After his second arrest, his mother, “Jennifer,” fought to get him into an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility out of state to treat his heroin addiction.

Though Jennifer feared for her son’s life, wondering if his use would lead to an overdose, Tyler safely made it to the inpatient facility. There, he received counseling and group and family therapy in a safe, protective environment.

“It was a miracle,” recalled Jennifer, who did not want her real name to be used due to the sensitive nature of her story. “I had to take a bus ride home [from the rehab center]. The whole bus ride home I was smiling, I was looking out the window, I was able to appreciate the beauty of the world. Like everything had been going past me. I couldn’t see anything because this was the only focus: Keep your son alive, keep your son alive.”

Tyler, a current student at the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 141), declined to be interviewed for this article. But Jennifer said when she dropped him off at the inpatient treatment center, she could start to live again after months of severe stress.

What do you think the community should do to deal with teen use of heroin and opioids? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.