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TELL US: How Has Heroin Affected You And Yours?

TELL US: How Has Heroin Affected You And Yours?
Andy Campbell
By 

Senior Editor, HuffPost

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT - FEBRUARY 06: Drugs are prepared to shoot intravenously by a user addicted to heroin on February 6, 2014 in St. Johnsbury Vermont. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin recently devoted his entire State of the State speech to the scourge of heroin. Heroin and other opiates have begun to devastate many communities in the Northeast and Midwest leading to a surge in fatal overdoses in a number of states. As prescription painkillers, such as the synthetic opiate OxyContin, become increasingly expensive and regulated, more and more Americans are turning to heroin to fight pain or to get high. Heroin, which has experienced a surge in production in places such as Afghanistan and parts of Central America, has a relatively inexpensive street price and provides a more powerful affect on the user. New York City police are currently investigating the death of the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman who was found dead last Sunday with a needle in his arm. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
ST. JOHNSBURY, VT - FEBRUARY 06: Drugs are prepared to shoot intravenously by a user addicted to heroin on February 6, 2014 in St. Johnsbury Vermont. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin recently devoted his entire State of the State speech to the scourge of heroin. Heroin and other opiates have begun to devastate many communities in the Northeast and Midwest leading to a surge in fatal overdoses in a number of states. As prescription painkillers, such as the synthetic opiate OxyContin, become increasingly expensive and regulated, more and more Americans are turning to heroin to fight pain or to get high. Heroin, which has experienced a surge in production in places such as Afghanistan and parts of Central America, has a relatively inexpensive street price and provides a more powerful affect on the user. New York City police are currently investigating the death of the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman who was found dead last Sunday with a needle in his arm. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Heroin kills in more ways than one.

It sucks the life out of families, relationships, our children and our schools. It makes strong people weak, and changes good people forever. And the epidemic is getting worse.

The Associated Press reports a 45-percent jump in heroin overdose deaths between 2006 and 2010, a stat that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called an "urgent and growing public health crisis." But overdose is just one side of the story -- and we want to hear yours.

Tomorrow, Thursday, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, HuffPost Live is running a segment called, "Heroin Is Changing The Way We Talk About Drugs." It'll cover communities around the nation that are talking about heroin today, and how it affects us.

You can go to that segment page right now and tell your story in the comment section on the right side of the page. Tell us your story in video or text, and we'll share it with others who may be struggling with the drug on Thursday afternoon. Does your family member, friend or loved one have an addiction? Have your relationships suffered because of the drug? Have you conquered addiction? Has the epidemic affected you in another way?

Tell us right now on the HuffPost Live segment page, as these stories are powerful and essential to our community. Then tune in Thursday at 4 p.m. to hear yours and other stories of heroin addiction and overcoming the struggle.

Join The Conversation On HuffPost Live

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