America's growing Heroin Problem

Long Sleeve Shirt
(c) 2015 Bobby Hayden Jr.

America’s Growing Heroin Problem

© 2015 Hadassah Shabnam Lal

 (www.hadassahshabnamlal.com)

(www.virtueintnl.com) (www.bobbyhaydenjr.com)

Coming to a city near you.

At Virtue International Records LLC. we strongly support the homeless community as well as those who are in recovery from addictions. Considering that Heroin usage has increased 300 percent across Indiana in the past three years according to a recent report, and has found its way into smaller rural communities, we are very concerned. In fact, Heroin has outpaced cocaine as the drug of choice in the illegal drug market. There are over 1.2 million “occasional” heroin users in the United States and over 200,000 people who could be classified as addicted to the drug. In fact, 70% of Heroin comes from Afghanistan and is finding its way into America’s crossroads.

• The average heroin addiction ingests between 150mg and 250mg of the drug per day.
• Heroin overdoses have caused more deaths than traffic accidents in the past several years.
• There are believed to be at least 700,000 people in the United States who need heroin addiction treatment but are not receiving it.
• According to a report from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, from the years spanning 1992 -2002, the number of people injecting heroin declined, but the percentage of individuals smoking the drug increased by over 12%.
• IN 2002 a study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 53% of past year users of heroin had a dependence on the drug.
• Florida and California by far have the most heroin seizures by law enforcement each year (due to their physical location and prevalence of the drug trade in their states).
• Dating as far back as 3400 BC, heroin was discovered to be a derivative of opium poppy plant pods that are now grown mostly in southern Asia and Latin America.  Many may not be aware but 70% of Heroin comes from Afghanistan. Heroin is most popular in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, but US use is steadily on the rise. In 2007, 373,000 people in America were using heroin; just five years later in 2012, that number has nearly doubled at 669,000. Likewise, overdose is increasing too, jumping 45 percent between 2006 and 2010.
• Today, the drug is most commonly used via intravenous injection, but the trends of snorting, sniffing and smoking the drug are growing in popularity due to the risks involved in sharing needles and keeping them clean. Heroin turns into morphine when it enters your brain, and from there, it acts on opioid receptors involved with pain and reward mechanisms. The effects are felt pretty quickly — including the rush that heroin abusers seek — a pleasant and euphoric sensation when the skin flushes with warmth. The risk of addiction correlates highly with the drug’s potency, but you’re also at increased risk if you have other psychiatric problems or if you begin using heroin at a younger age. It is thought that around 23 percent of heroin users become addicted to the drug. It is estimated that 9.2 million people worldwide are using heroin.

We recently signed Bobby Hayden Jr. a fully recovered Heroin addict who came to the saving grace of Jesus Christ per. the Bible verse in John 3:16.  Bobby Hayden Jr. recently penned a song titled “Long Sleeve Shirt” It was birthed out of an extremely painful and dark period of Bobby Hayden Jr's life as an 80's rocker who fell from grace and ended up a Heroin addict, homeless living in a cardboard box for ten years. Bobby lived his life inches away from death for years until the prayers of his family broke through and he was saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. The companion video to "Long Sleeve Shirt" will be available on YouTube as well. It is a powerful and poignant portrayal of the "dark" world of intravenous drug use. However, a glimmer of hope is shown at the end, thus giving the listener and viewer a glimmer of hope. The video will be available for viewing on the YouTube channel for Bobby Hayden Jr. as well as www.bobbyhaydenjr.com along with www.virtueintnl.com and the Youtube channel for Virtue International.

Here are the Lyrics.

Long Sleeve Shirt

© 2015 Bobby Hayden Jr.

A little bruised and all nicked up

Red-stained sleeves on an old Levi shirt

Count the stings, the folks I’ve hurt

Another beautiful summer day

In a long sleeve shirt

Guess my sweat will flow just like

The tears my family cries

Realize my days are numbered

And flying by

I reminisce with cleanliness

Trying to wash away the dirt

Another beautiful summer day

In a long sleeve shirt

Junkie Dan for half my life

Devil’s plan to poison every sound mind

Time…Killin Time…

Sick and tired of same old same old’s

Outfit, spoons, and ties

Round and round and down and down I go

Heart slows

Arms hurt

With all eyes closed

Another beautiful summer day, in a long sleeve shirt

Another beautiful summer day, in a long sleeve shirt