Hooked On Heroin: Young People Battle Addiction

Oct. 28, 2010— -- It's a nightmare no parent wants to face: discovering that your child has fallen prey to the deadly pull of heroin.

On this week's "20/20," co-anchor Chris Cuomo follows the journeys of three young people caught in the powerful grip of heroin addiction. Over the course of eight months of reporting, "20/20" was aided by the Caron Treatment Centers, which has provided treatment for addicts and their families for more than 50 years.

Tom Dietzler, an addiction counselor at Caron's Young Adult Program, stresses that addiction is a powerful disease -- one that can cause good kids from loving families to make horrible decisions.

"They have no fear of death," Dietzler says of heroin addicts. "They will do anything they can to get their drug. They become vicious as they progress into their addiction."

Heroin gives users a euphoric high, followed by an intense physical withdrawal that addicts describe as 10 times worse than the flu. To avoid the pain of withdrawal, the heroin addict structures life around getting the next dose.

Abbie Hoff, also a counselor at Caron, says that the addict's life quickly begins to revolve around the same, never-ending questions: "'When am I going to get the drug again?' 'How am I going to get the drug again?' 'What do I need to do to get the drug again?' The obsession begins and all they want is the drug."

Not a '31 Day Cure Pill'

A major challenge in recovery is to help patients completely restructure their lives in a way that's no longer centered on a drug. This can be a long process, and many families are surprised when their child isn't "cured' after the standard month-long treatment cycle.

"Many parents when they bring their children here, it is almost like [they expect] a 31-day cure pill," says Tom Dietzler. "Wave a magic wand, Mr. Dietzler, make my son or daughter better."

But the rituals of addiction are ingrained in the addict, and they're difficult to break.

"Most people are using for at least a couple of years, sometimes 10 years, sometimes 15 years," says Hoff. "So I believe it's unrealistic to think that you can begin a healing process in 30 days."