Had a meeting with a prospective tenant to show him an apartment back in 2006. He was looking to be closer to his kids after his wife and him had divorced. He had a job that met his needs and would more importantly pay his rent. He was a star tenant for a year until.......

 

A neighbor informed me of an "unusual amount" of traffic visiting the apartment at the beginning of the month. Come to find out he was dealing pain pills out of the apartment. So I took it upon myself to pay a visit after not receiving his rent and when he let me in I was able to see the destruction a drug like heroin can do.

 

In less than 3 months a comfortable apartment had turned into a hell hole...lets just say he wasn't cooking creme brulee when I saw his paraphanelia sitting by an air mattress bed. He had to sell most of his furniture to feed his heroine addiction. Lost his job and visitations with his three kids.

 

I had to evict him and I learned within the year he had overdosed on a "bad batch" of heroine.....is there ever a good batch folks?

 

What did I learn from this? I learned a lot about the conditions of despair, anger, frustration.....this seemed to be a common theme with his emotions. Rather than seek peace with his kids, or God, or a support group, he had been introduced to pain pills after a motorcycle accident....and the enemy just kept chipping away at what he loved until the needle won! I've come to the conclusion that this battle will be won by literally good vs. evil, love vs. hate. I've shared this before and I'll share it again.

 

The majority of heroin addicts who are able to overcome long term do so with the help of drugs that ween them off heroin and a spiritually centered 12 step program. At the end of the day folks run from pain killers and seek a higher spiritual power. Celebrate and lead folks to hope and love. I'm amazed by the few triggers that have ended lives due to no hope or love!

 

I'm off my soapbox....just tired of folks sharing conditions but not understanding the source and how to take preventive measures to avoid addiction.

 

* A Tylenol 500 or 3 ibruprofens might be a better fit for pain vs. ...................!

Several studies show that a combination of the 2 achieve more pain management than hydrocodone 7.5 q6h.

Here is a link to the violent side of Huntington's heroin problem. There is also a video.

 

UPDATE: Huntington Police shut down several streets after gunfire

 

If Huntington doesn't get some serious federal funding and resources to combat this problem, it will only get worse, IMO. To HPD's credit they are making a ton of drug arrests. But for every person they arrest there are three more that are sent down to take that person's place.

Here is a link to the violent side of Huntington's heroin problem. There is also a video.

 

UPDATE: Huntington Police shut down several streets after gunfire

If Huntington doesn't get some serious federal funding and resources to combat this problem, it will only get worse, IMO. To HPD's credit they are making a ton of drug arrests. But for every person they arrest there are three more that are sent down to take that person's place.

 

I hate to be right about something like the bolded, but yesterday Huntington surpassed Chicago in murders per capita on the year. I believe they also lead the country per capita in overdoses at the moment.

 

The city has became a smaller version of Detroit or Chicago but have no where near the resources to fix the problem. I really don't see it getting any better unless the fed's really step in. The HPD is down to 103 officers and asking the WVSP to move more patrols inside the city due to the HPD being overwhelmed. I don't live in Huntington, but living in Ashland it hits close to home and is quite sad.

 

WSAZ Investigates: A City in Crisis Part 2

I commented last week at lunch that I don't feel like I'm hearing about overdoses as much in NKY and Greater Cincy. Was curious if they've actually gone done or we've just gotten more numb to it. Unfortunately, I figured it was the latter.

Three more shootings last night in Huntington, leaving one person dead. :isurrender:

I commented last week at lunch that I don't feel like I'm hearing about overdoses as much in NKY and Greater Cincy. Was curious if they've actually gone done or we've just gotten more numb to it. Unfortunately, I figured it was the latter.

 

I think it was just part of the media cycle at the time. One to new things.

The National Guard has been called in to help Huntington with it's problems. It's scary to think that the police force there is so understaffed that they ask for help from the Guard.

Working in Huntington years ago I found out that WV of the poorest state in the country. Outside of the few biggest cities, not much population. If you've never been to downtown Huntington, it's like a lot of bigger cities in the way it is laid out. A giant grid of streets and Avenues on the Ohio River. When I was there twenty years ago it was cocaine that was a problem, but nothing like the heroin of today. Most people don't like my theory for curing the heroin problem. To me it's like combating the West Nile virus. You go after the source and kill it (mosquitoes mainly) and you will stop the "epideminc"