Heroin addiction often starts in the medicine cabinet, panelists say

(Chicago Tribune, Dec. 9) It's a common story in the suburbs of Chicago: a high school athlete is prescribed a painkiller for a sports injury and becomes hooked, then starts taking other meds in the house before finding a cheaper alternative: heroin. Disposing these old pain meds is the first step to preventing the addiction, experts say, and treating rather than punishing teens is another step. A panel in Highland Park, Illinois, talked about the typical path of heroin abusers, particularly the young ones. READ MORE.