It’s been 30 years since we lost comedian John Belushi to a drug overdose involving cocaine and heroin. On the anniversary of his death, the comic’s good friend and co-star Dan Akroyd spoke out in an exclusive interview with Showbiz Tonight about what might have been.

Belushi died on March 5, 1982, at just 33 years old. Akroyd believes that if his friend had lived, he would be a Broadway director today.

“That would have been his destiny, because he was so intelligent and so well referenced there,” Akroyd said, adding, “He was more of an academic than the ‘Bluto’ image would have you believe.”

Akroyd also commented on Belushi’s addiction, insisting that during “the last summer of his life, not a powder nor a pill did he touch. Nothing. Just smoked a little bud. That was it. And wine and beer and food, you know.”

After that revelation, Akroyd made the odd prediction that “If he’d been a pothead, he’d be alive today ‘cause that doesn’t kill ya.”

It may be true that marijuana isn’t as deadly as cocaine or heroin, but for someone struggling with addiction, any substances can cause trouble or lead to relapse. We have no way to know if that’s what happened in John Belushi’s case, but it certainly didn’t help.

Addiction Help at La Paloma

If you or someone you love is battling drug or alcohol addiction, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

Not every recovery story has a happy ending. Mike Starr, the former Alice in Chains bassist whose battle with drugs was chronicled on the third season Celebrity Rehab, was found dead this week in Salt Lake City.

There is no official cause of death yet for the 44-year-old, but Starr was honest about the monumental struggle it was for him to stay clean after years of heroin abuse. Known for his reality TV stints on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew and it’s spin-off Sober House, the musician continued to battle drug addiction. Just last month, he was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance in Salt Lake City when authorities found him with six oxymorphone pills and six Xanax pills. Starr left Alice In Chains in 1993, but was still profoundly affected by the death of the band’s lead singer Layne Staley from a drug overdose in 2002.

“Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness,” Dr. Drew wrote on his Twitter page once the news broke. “So very sad. Our prayers are with his family.”

Drug Addiction

If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

The debate rages on over our nation’s drug problem and the best way to make positive changes. Some call for harsher drug laws, while others insist incarceration isn’t the answer when it comes to battling the disease of addiction. Many agree that those with a substance abuse problem need treatment, while it’s the drug lords who deserve jail. But a recent arrest at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport raised a new issue, making some wonder about the fate of the desperate individuals who help bring drugs into the country.

On January 6, 2011, Customs and Border Protection authorities arrested 32-year-old Sherifat Lamidi when she was found to be carrying 91 pellets of heroin inside her body. It was the biggest bust of its kind in recent memory, with Lamidi having swallowed 2½ pounds of the drug, packed inside balloon-like packaging, according to the arresting agency. The drugs she was carrying had an estimated street value of $125,000, and Lamidi was reportedly paid $6,000 for putting her life (and her freedom) at risk. Once arrested, she admitted it wasn’t her first time to take such a chance. The Detroit Free Press reported that the suspect admitted she was previously paid $4,500 to travel to Chicago after ingesting 50 heroin pellets.

Stopping that amount of heroin from entering the country and hitting our streets is certainly cause for celebration, but Lamidi, a Nigerian citizen, is far from a drug kingpin. Instead, she’s what’s known as a “drug mule.” Her long trek originated in her home country with a stop in Frankfurt, Germany, where she boarded the Lufthansa Airlines flight to Detroit. What will become of her now that she’s been caught? After being taken to a local hospital in order to “pass” the pellets, her case was turned over the US Attorney’s office for prosecution. Meanwhile, our drug problem rages on, with new individuals falling into addiction every day.

Drug Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling a drug addiction, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about drug rehab, financing or insurance.

While drug use among teens isn’t going away anytime soon, heroin had seemed to fade from its all-time grunge high in the early and mid-’90s. Apparently, enough time has passed since the death of Kurt Cobain and others Seattle musicians who succumbed to the deadly drug because The Kansas City Star recently reported that suburban teens are partaking once again.

The award-winning newspaper reports that the problem has shown up in New York, Illinois, Alabama, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Utah and Washington state, with heroin use on the rise among suburban youth. The experts say the numbers are still low, but spikes in overdoses and even deaths show an alarming trend.

Why is Heroin Use on the Rise?

One police precinct handled five cases involving heroin and youth last month after not seeing any in five years. Some speculate that teen users are graduating up to heroin after starting out using other opiates like the prescription painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin. Why are teens making the switch from often readily available prescription meds, frequently found as close by as their parents’ medicine cabinet? Because once their at-home stash runs out, painkillers cost $40-60 per pill on the street, while heroin provides a more intense high for $5-10 per bag.

Many parents think of heroin as an urban drug found in seedy downtown neighborhoods, but with the drug rising in popularity again, dealers are cropping up in middle- and upper-class suburban neighborhoods, too.

While heroin isn’t new, today’s version has one dangerous difference – it’s nearly twice as pure as its 1960s and ’70s counterpart, making it possible to smoke or snort, The Kansas City Star reports. Of course, after regular use, it’s usually only a matter of time before someone turns to shooting up.

Heroin Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling a heroin addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

A debate is raging in England – and around the world – as the head of Britain’s biggest nursing union suggested that heroin be prescribed to users to cut crime and keep public spaces free of dirty needles.

Dr. Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), proposed that Britain’s National Health Service should offer heroin to drug addicts and open “consumption rooms” where users can go to inject under medical supervision, according The Guardian newspaper.

Prescribing Heroin

The comments were made following a debate on the issue at the RCN’s annual conference in Bournemouth. Speaking for himself personally and not in his official capacity, Carter said, “I do believe in heroin prescribing. The fact is, heroin is very addictive. People who are addicted so often resort to crime, to steal to buy the heroin.”

While aware that his stance might be seen by many as controversial, Carter went on to say that, “It might take a few years, but I think people will understand. If you are going to get people off heroin then in the initial stages we have to have proper heroin prescribing services.”

There are studies that seem to back up Carter’s viewpoint. The Guardian cites a study undertaken at the King’s College’s National Addiction Centre that suggested allowing users to inject heroin under medical supervision could cut local crime rates by two-thirds in six months.

Not surprisingly, many other experts in the field of addiction felt that money should be spent on treating addiction rather than keeping current users on drugs. With that, it seems the debate is sure to rage on for the foreseeable future.

Heroin Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is battling a heroin addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

No one questions the motives behind the pamphlet produced by the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. The 16-page “Take Charge, Take Care: 10 Tips for Safer Use” brochure was created “to help people who are injecting drugs reduce the harm associated with this type of drug use until they are able to get into treatment and recover,” according to the agency.

The project was meant to save lives, but critics worry that the document – produced at a cost of more than $32,000 to taxpayers – can also serve as a “how-to” manual. Others see it as the government implying there is a “safe” way to inject drugs.

“Heroin use is at epidemic levels in New York, and we should be spending money to address that, not teach first-timers how to use,” says New York City Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr., chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee in an article on CNN.com.

Including sections like “how to prevent overdose,” “prepare drugs carefully” and “take care of your veins,” the pamphlet also offers tips such as “use with someone else,” “use a new syringe every time” and gives suggestions on how to best find a vein. Those behind the document are careful to point out that there is also a category titled, “ask for help to stop using.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the issue recently, explaining, “using hard drugs is just not a smart thing to do, but we have an obligation no matter what the people do in this city to make sure they do it as safe as they can.”

Heroin Addiction Treatment at La Paloma

If you or a family member is struggling with a drug addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

It’s an odd thing to realize, but just like hot diets and fashion fads, drugs go through cycles of popularity. When it comes to heroin, it experienced a definite surge in popularity in the ‘90s, with a string of high profile musicians becoming strung out. Heroin even made its way into the music’s lyrics at times, with not-so-veiled references to the dangerous drug. And eventually – and predictably — it had tragic consequences for A-level acts like Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as many others in the rock world and beyond.

While heroin may no longer be the drug du jour, being featured regularly on magazine covers and profiled in newspaper articles, it’s still ruining lives at an alarming rate. This illegal, highly addictive drug remains a serious problem in the U.S., with the dubious distinction of being the most abused and most rapidly acting of the opiates. Worse still, heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain so rapidly. One contributing factor to the drug’s ongoing popularity may be its cheap price tag. A single dose of heroin can be cheaper than a six-pack of beer and provide a much more intense high, a fact that isn’t lost on young people eager to experiment.

Heroin Facts

The drug known as heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of certain varieties of poppy plants. Ironically, heroin was originally developed as a substitute for morphine in an effort to deal with morphine’s highly addictive properties. However, it was quickly recognized that heroin is even more addictive than morphine, and as a result the drug was made illegal.

Pure heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste. Most illicit heroin is sold as a white or brownish powder and is usually “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk or quinine. It can also be cut with strychnine or other poisons. Another form of heroin known as “black tar” may be sticky like roofing tar or hard like coal, and its color may vary from dark brown to black.

Heroin Street Names

Heroin goes by a string of many street names, with more being added to the list. Currently, you can hear it called Street Smack, H, Skag, Junk, Brown Sugar, Horse, Mud and Black Tar.

Heroin Use

Heroin is most often injected, however, high-purity heroin may also be snorted or smoked. Although smoking and sniffing heroin do not produce as intense or as immediate of a “rush” as intravenous injection, research confirms that all three methods of heroin use are addictive.

With regular heroin use, tolerance develops and more heroin is needed to achieve the same intensity or effect. As higher doses are used over time, physical dependence and addiction develop. With physical dependence, the body has adapted to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms may occur if use is reduced or stopped. Additionally, because heroin users do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk for a wide range of severe health conditions.

Health Hazards of Heroin:

• Spontaneous abortion
• Collapsed veins
• Infection of the heart lining and valves
• Pneumonia
• Needle sharing can also spread infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis
• A heroin overdose can easily result in death

Heroin Addiction and Overdose

Those addicted to heroin will exhibit periods of extreme euphoria immediately after using, followed by drowsiness. Mental functioning is impaired as is respiration. Pupils are constricted and nausea is common. Signs of heroin overdose include shallow breathing, pinpoint pupils, clammy skin, convulsions and coma.

Treating Heroin Addiction

The first step in treating heroin addiction is to rid the body of the drug and its residual toxins. This happens during heroin detox, a process that may include side effects including drug craving, vomiting, restlessness, bone and muscle pain, diarrhea, cold flashes, chills and kicking spasms. Major withdrawal symptoms usually peak between 48 to 72 hours after the last heroin dose and slowly subside in the days to follow. This is a difficult and taxing process, but with medical supervision and emotional support, La Paloma Treatment Center sees success on a regular basis.

Heroin Rehab

Rehabilitation is an important part of the recovery process from heroin addiction. In addition to discontinuing drug use, treatment helps individuals establish a foundation of recovery and begin to function effectively in the family, workplace and community.

The goal of the drug rehabilitation program at La Paloma is to offer integrative treatment and education about chemical dependency to support the long-term changes needed to live a drug-free lifestyle.

Key Components of La Paloma Heroin Drug Rehab:

• Helping individuals make important lifestyle changes
• Teaching skills instrumental in successful abstinence
• Developing tools for coping
• Helping clients manage feelings
• Identifying the warning signs of relapse
• Designing effective strategies for prevention of relapse

Statistics show that without a solid plan to avoid or handle addiction triggers, patients often relapse into the behavior that brought them to the drug treatment facility in the first place. Conversely, research shows that 70 to 80 percent of La Paloma’s clients abstained from using drugs and alcohol up to one year following treatment.

If you have questions about heroin detox and rehab, please contact us at our toll free number 24 hours a day. Admissions counselors are standing by to help you being the process of recovery today.

It wasn’t the first drug to inspire fashion (the ‘60s psychedelics certainly influenced the multi-colored styles of that era), but the “heroin chic” look of the early and mid-‘90s was shocking because it was so anti-fashion. Models made up to look strung out while wearing high-end clothes that resembled thrift store finds were a far cry from the clean-scrubbed, preppy ‘80s look that preceded it.

The trend may have died down, but the drug use continues. Heroin is still the most abused drug in the opiate family. It’s also the fastest-acting form of opiate, making it particularly addictive because it enters the brain so rapidly. Add to that the fact that a single dose of heroin can be cheaper than a six-pack of beer and provide a much more intense high, and it isn’t hard to see why it’s still around. Of the 1.7 million drug-related emergency room visits in 2006, nearly 200,000 were due to heroin use, proving heroin use continues to be a big problem in the U.S.

Heroin is derived from opium, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of certain varieties of poppy plants. Morphine is also a derivative of opium, and heroin was actually developed as a safer substitute for morphine. However, it was quickly discovered that heroin is even MORE addictive than morphine, and as a result the drug was made illegal. That didn’t hurt its popularity any.

If you or someone you know is battling a heroin addiction or any substance abuse problem, contact La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

Everyone is looking for ways to save these days. Clipping coupons, packing your lunch, buying in bulk, watching the sales and checking out local consignments stores are all great ways to stretch a dollar. This new trend toward thriftiness is having some negative effects, though, when it comes to drug use.

Those in search of a cheap “high” are bypassing alcohol and other legal substances for street drugs that are selling at bargain prices.

A Cheap Heroin High

A single dose of heroin can be cheaper than a six-pack of beer and provide a much more intense high, a fact that isn’t lost on young people eager to experiment. Of course, unlike beer, heroin doesn’t come with a label listing the ingredients and there’s no FDA oversight so you’re never quite sure what you’re getting. Purity can range widely and that fluctuation alone can be deadly. For teens and twentysomethings who think they’re invincible, warnings don’t do much to scare them away.

At a time when so many areas of the economy have slowed to a crawl, the Mexican heroin market is a booming industry. Combine that with the stress over job loss and dwindling retirement accounts and you have another group eager for a cheap escape. Those going through financial hardships may feel like they have little left to lose and so they’re willing to take more risks with their health – and their lives.

Not that “legal” drugs like alcohol and prescription meds aren’t dangerous, but street drugs and their unpredictability add a whole new element of danger. Those looking to simply escape from their problems for a few hours may get much more than they bargained for.

The saying “what goes around comes around.” It’s true for fashion and other trends. Sadly, it’s also true when it comes to drug use. Heroin got a big boost in the early ‘90s as a staple in Seattle’s grunge scene. Most famous among the drug’s users was Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, who lost his battle with heroin addiction after checking himself out of a California rehab facility and returning home to commit suicide.

A New Generation of Heroin Users

Despite that cautionary tale, a new generation of young people, many of them still in their teens, are turning to heroin to get high. This dangerously addictive drug was typically injected (that method provides the fastest results), but now purer product has made snorting or smoking the drug more popular, opening up a whole new group of users who don’t want the stigma of intravenous drug use.

The staff at La Paloma Treatment Center, confirms this troubling trend, citing a rise in teen heroin users seeking treatment for addiction. They’ve witnessed firsthand heroin’s spike in popularity among young people.

Even among young, healthy users, long-term effects include liver and kidney disease, infection of the heart and other pulmonary problems. While quitting is key, heroin withdrawal is difficult and painful. That’s why it’s important that it’s done in a professional detox environment like La Paloma’s state-of-the-art facility.