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At first, parents, police, and school officials around Dallas, Texas, were not sure what they were dealing with. More and more kids at younger ages were showing up at drug treatment centers begging for help. The number of

overdoses and deaths kept climbing. Some of the victims were middle-schoolers.

These teens reported inhaling, or snorting, a tan powder to get high--often in school, sometimes even in class. Lab tests revealed that the mix contained black tar heroin. Heroin is a destructive, highly addictive drug. Small-time drug dealers have been grinding up this form of heroin with sleep aids. Then they sell it for as little as $2 a snort in order to hook teen users.

The mix is known as "cheeseheroin," or simply "cheese." But the cutesy name hides a life-destroying bite. Sometimes young users don't even know that they are snorting heroin, according to Michelle Hemm, program-director of the Phoenix Academy of Dallas, a drug treatment center.

KIDS IN CRISIS

With 23 years of experience working in drug rehabilitation, Hemm has seen drug fads come and go. "But I've never seen so many kids coming in for help," she says. "They are brought to their knees so quickly by this drug." In the last year, Hemm says she has seen admissions to Phoenix Academy's drug treatment program leap from 13 to 102 for addiction to cheeseheroin.

This Choices article gives a heads up about the dangers of snorting heroin. By knowing what to look for, you and your friends can help block this dangerous drug from getting a foothold in your school and community.

Heroin is an opiate, a family of powerful pain-killing drugs. It is processed from morphine, a product of poppy plants. Under a doctor's care, opiates are very effective means for managing severe pain.

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Among all of its amazing abilities, the human brain can naturally produce its own morphine-like chemicals, called endorphins. These chemicals do three things: lift our mood, help us feel motivated, and mask pain so we can continue to function in spite of injury or physical discomfort. The brain contains receptors where endorphins can attach and work their natural magic.

DRUG'S EFFECT

The molecules of heroin and other opiates attach to these same receptors. This artificially re-creates the effects of endorphins. Heroin users may describe a pleasurable rush that this illegal drug gives them, reports the National Title: Fatal breaths: inhaling heroin is dangerous and can lead to overdose and even death. Be

on the lookout for this highly addictive drug, often called cheese heroin Author(s): Sean McCollum

Source: Scholastic Choices. 23.4 (Jan. 2008): p14. From General OneFile_. Document Type: Article

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overdose usually fall asleep and never wake up.

That is what happened to North Dallas teen Garrett Hill. The 17-year-old went in search of drugs with a friend on a June night in 2005. They snorted some powder, later identified as cheeseheroin. His mother found him lying dead on the sofa the next morning. In the last two years, there have been at least 23 deaths attributed to cheeseheroin in the Dallas area, most of them teens.

GETTING HOOKED

What makes heroin particularly sinister is how addictive it is. Casual heroin users often discover that over time they can no longer function without regular fixes, according to Dr. Jane C. Maxwell, a senior research scientist at the University of Texas, who studies addiction.

"A person tries heroin once," Maxwell says. "Then he tries it once a month. Then it's every other Saturday. Then every Saturday. And it spirals down from there. Then one morning the person wakes up feeling like he has the flu. That's the withdrawal symptoms." At that point, the user is addicted.

NIDA researchers have confirmed that heroin users have a high probability of becoming addicted whether the drug is injected, smoked, or snorted. Once addicted, heroin addicts will feel intensely sick if they can't get the drug. Some addicts resort to injecting heroin to get a more intense effect. This, of course, greatly increases the risk of getting HIV, the virus that causes the deadly disease AIDS, and hepatitis if they share hypodermic needles with other addicts.

HEROIN MYTHS

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Maxwell says that some heroin users mistakenly believe that they can't get addicted if they inhale it. "All the people that started by snorting heroin, by the time I talked to them were in drug treatment," Maxwell says. "I've spent a lot of time with heroin addicts and the waste of human potential is overwhelming. These teens were doing well, and everything went downhill when they started using. They lost everything."

Heroin is also one of the hardest addictions to break. Its use leads to powerful physical dependence and changes in the body's neurochemistry. Maxwell laments that recovering heroin addicts lose years from their lives as they battle to get clean. "They have to work hard to get the things that they would already have achieved--health, education, career, relationships--if they hadn't gotten involved with heroin," Maxwell says.

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SIGNS OF ABUSE

If you think someone is abusing heroin, look for these physical symptoms or patterns of behavior from the person: * Persistent vomiting

* Using laxatives (heroin use causes constipation) * Dramatic weight loss

* Itching and scratching

* Consistently nodding off to sleep * Constricted, pinpoint pupils

* Track marks on arms (from injecting heroin into the body) * Cessation of menstruation for women and girls

Also, if your friend is depressed, behaving erratically, hanging out with strangers, disappearing for long periods of time, or stealing, these are all signs that he or she may be abusing heroin or another drug. Talk to an adult you trust about getting your friend help.

THINK ABOUT IT

Why do you think teenagers try drugs? Is it to escape boredom? Do they feel peer pressure to do , drugs? Is it a way to cope with problems in their lives? On a piece of paper, write your opinion on why teens try drugs. Include what things teens can do to avoid doing drugs and why these activities or methods work. Send your essays to: Teens & Drugs, Choices, 557 Broadway, New York, NY, 10012-3999.

test YOURSELF

Use the following terms to complete each statement below. Answers are in the Teacher's Edition. addictions

injecting kill

shutting down snorted

1 Heroin overdoses usually kill by -- the heart and lungs. 2 Heroin is addictive whether the drug is injected, smoked, or --. 3 Heroin abuse is one of the most difficult -- to break.

4 Often, people who 'snort heroin eventually switch to -- it.

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5 Snorting heroin can -- you the first time you try it. SUBSTANCE ABUSE PG. 14-17

Fatal Breaths

SUMMARY: AN IMPURE FORM OF HEROIN, KNOWN AS "CHEESEHEROIN," IS INCREASINGLY BEING USED BY YOUNG PEOPLE--OFTEN WITH DEADLY RESULTS. THIS ARTICLE EXPLAINS THE DANGERS OF ALL FORMS OF HEROIN AND OUTLINES THE DRUG'S MECHANISM OF ACTION. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* How does cheeseheroin differ from regular heroin? How does it compare with regular heroin in terms of health danger and potential to cause addiction in a user?

* The article says that some teens snort cheeseheroin without knowing what it is. How can this happen?

* How might the name "cheese" make the drug seem less dangerous to some young people? What does the expert quoted in the interview mean when she says the name is a "marketing ploy"?

* An expert quoted in the article says that heroin addicts lose years from their lives as they battle to get clean. How can drug addiction harm a teenager's future?

* Cheeseheroin is a particular problem around Dallas, Texas. What can be done to prevent the drug from becoming a problem in your area?

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

Teaching point: This activity will help students understand the heavy emotional toll drug abuse takes. Point out to students that the article is illustrated with photos of two parents who lost sons to cheeseheroin overdoses and that each parent is holding a photo of a deceased son. Tell students to imagine what the parents would say about their children and their manner of death. Then have each student write a caption that describes one of the photos and includes an imaginary quote from the parent.

RESOURCES

Facts About Heroin. The National institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) offers information on heroin, its effect on the body, and how to stop using the drug. Visit www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/heroin.html.

The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy also provides information online about heroin. Go to www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/heroin/index.html

CHOICES CHALLENGE/ACTIVITY PG. 14-17 Understanding CheeseHeroin

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b. false

2. Heroin is made from which plant? a. potato

b. poppy c. primrose d. pea

3. Heroin is part of the opiate family of drugs. When used properly, drugs in this class are effective at-- a. killing cancer cells

b. treating infections c. curing allergies d. treating pain

4. Heroin mimics naturally occurring brain chemicals called-- a. morphines

b. endorphins c. antihistamines d. cytokines

5. The brain chemicals referred to in Question 4 do which of the following? a. lift your mood

b. cause feelings of motivation c. mask pain

d. all of the above

6. Heroin is highly addictive. a. true b. false

7. Death from heroin overdose occurs when the-- shut down. a. intestines

b. lungs

c. heart and lungs

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d. muscle cells

8. At first, withdrawal symptoms from heroin feel like which illness? a. the flu b. strep throat c. asthma d. chicken pox ANSWERS p. 17: Test Yourself 1. shutting down 2. snorted 3. addictions 4. injecting 5. kill

p. T5: Understanding CheeseHeroin 1. b 2. b 3. d 4. b 5. d 6. a 7. c 8. a

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