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Health & Fitness

Heroin Addiction and Overdose Deaths on the Rise With No End in Sight

Last summer, 21 year-old Alexandra “Alex” Stellhorn of Waukesha found by her mother laying in the fetal position in her closet, dead from an apparent heroin overdose.  Police found two blue pills at the scene that were later identified as alprazolam, an anti-anxiety medication. A few days later, a detective found a syringe in the closet where the woman’s body was discovered.

Stellhorn had been struggling with a heroin addiction and recently, two men, 21 year-old Matthew C. Berg of Waukesha and 27 year-old Diono E. Hayes of Milwaukee were charged with first-degree reckless homicide for providing the heroin that caused Stellhorn’s death.

The topic of heroin addiction and overdose death is one that, regrettably, I often find myself discussing with fellow attorneys and even friends and family. I’ve seen family members of my clients having to deal with opiate addiction.  Since I’ve been out of the District Attorney’s office and certainly since I have been practicing as a defense attorney, this problem has been an absolute epidemic.

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I speak with confidence when I say that if there is a plague out there that every single person, regardless of race, religion, creed or sexual orientation, should fear it is opiate addiction because it’s in everybody’s back yard.  It has no bias as to who it will take down.

In so many cases, the roots of a heroin addiction can be found in cases where the user has become addicted to legal prescription drugs.  What often happens is the user runs out of doctors to “shop” for additional prescriptions and they run out of money to afford legal medications. At that point, they turn to the easily accessible and significantly cheaper alternative which is heroin.

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So it was not surprising to see this case in Waukesha but it is certainly regrettable. There has been a massive explosion of heroin usage and overdose deaths and I think this is something that everyone needs to know is alive and well everywhere. It’s in every state, every municipality no matter what size.

If you have a friend or loved one that you suspect is involved with opiates of any sort, don’t wait to intervene. Take the time to contact the first responders. Always be aware that if a person is not responsive you need to call 9-1-1. Somebody’s life can be snuffed out in mere seconds and oftentimes, this tragedy can be avoided.

This horrific problem has no easy fix, either. I’ve seen people go through $50,000 inpatient treatment programs and then go out and take the drug again.  Some people try to quit cold turkey and then re-offend.  I’ve seen people who continue to use the drug when taking Soboxone and Methadone treatments.

It is a scary addiction and I think support and intervention are critical. Hopefully, from there the person who abuses the drug must be willing to follow through on the treatment program and get away from opiates entirely. However, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that we, as communities, are losing this battle because this addiction continues to explode and shows no signs of slowing down in the future.

About Attorney Mark Powers
Attorney Mark Powers is a partner at the criminal defense law firm of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. in Waukesha. Previously, Powers served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Waukesha County District Attorney's office and is currently serving as a municipal judge in North Prairie. He focuses in the area of criminal defense, and has handled many cases involving operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, domestic disputes, and drug offenses.

Powers attended Valparaiso University School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate. Prior to law school, Mark attended the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse where he received his bachelor of science in Political Science.

For more information, please call 262.549.5979 or visit www.waukeshacriminalattorneys.com.

 

 







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