But hard as it is, Woods said staying clean is easier than being an addict. Being a dope fiend is a full-time job. If I had half a brain left in my head, I'd probably go to a drug treatment facility for four to six months, and spend the next six months seriously evaluating where I am. But he probably won't. And he's not alone.
Biological factors make heroin so addictive that it's notoriously difficult to stop.
Kayla Solomon, a Northampton social worker formerly employed at Cooley Dickinson Hospital's outpatient clinic, said the pain is more than physical. Many people who try heroin are self-medicating for emotional problems, she said. A person's choice of drug often indicates a mental ailment, she said. Many heroin addicts take the drug to alleviate anxiety, whereas the depressed often turn to cocaine or other stimulants to feel energized. When addicts go into withdrawal, they must deal with the troubles that led them to drugs in the first place, as well as the end of a lifestyle to which they had grown accustomed.