Can we please start referring to the heroin epidemic as 'The Opioid Epidemic' and stop vilifying heroin addicts?

Hello everyone, I'm an longtime heroin addict, I've been to rehab, I've been on methadone, I've been on suboxone. I'm currently on suboxone and I've been on it for 6 years now and it does help. I'd like to also state that I don't like being on suboxone, I'd much rather be on heroin. I'd do it in a heartbeat but I just can't because I have too many things to lose and I just can't afford it. I'd also like to say that I don't believe that heroin is the problem, the problem is that we don't have legal access to it. <br><br>Why is it that we can't talk about things like this? Why is everything about the 'dangers of heroin' and 'addiction is a disease', heroin is just as addictive as 'legal' prescription #painkillers#, we have been talking about the 'opioid epidemic' for 10 years now and it's only gotten worse, we've over prescribed people #painkillers#, which I think is the main reason why this is even an issue, we have over prescribed people #painkillers# and then we go on and we arrest heroin dealers and addicts. Then, we hand them a suboxone prescription and we send them on their way. No wonder why the black market is 'too big to #fail#', we have been trying to stop the black market since the 1970s and we have #failed# at it. <br><br>Suboxone is great for some people but it is not a solution. No one wants to be on suboxone for the rest of their lives. But instead of talking about real solutions, we set laws that require addicts to be on suboxone for at least a year before we can give them real help. I don't understand why we are not talking about real solutions to this problem, instead of 'arresting the problem away'. <br><br>I think that we should start referring to it as 'The Opioid Epidemic' instead of 'The Heroin Epidemic' because it's not heroin that is the problem, heroin is just a symptom of the problem. I also think that we need to start talking #realistically# about the 'opioid epidemic', we need to start talking about real solutions instead of just trying to 'arrest the problem away'. <br><br>I know that I'm just a heroin addict, my voice doesn't matter to anyone. I've spent the past 10 years of my life stoned out of my mind, I've done unspeakable things to get high, I've stole from my family, I've lied to my family, I've sold my bodies to get high, I've lost my virginity to get high. I'm not proud of the things that I've done, I'm not proud of who I am. I don't expect anyone to listen to me, I don't expect anyone to start talking #realistically# about the 'opioid epidemic' because of me, I just hope that someone will hear me and this post will inspire someone to talk #realistically# about the 'opioid epidemic'.<br><br>TL;DR - Heroin is not the problem, heroin is just a symptom of the problem.