My 20 year old son overdosed on heroin last night. He had been off heroin for several months and had just finished up a stint in rehab, but something was funny about him the last few days. We were pretty sure he was taking benzos because of the way he was acting. We searched him when he came home, found a small package of something (it wasn't heroin), and we had a big fight. He almost left home, but instead decided to stick around and went upstairs.
About 15 minutes later is when we heard the noises - gutteral and gasping. I told my wife either the dog was puking or something was wrong with our Icarus. We rushed upstairs to the source of the noise - a locked bathroom door. After 2 calls to him, I broke the door down. We found him in the fetal position, blue lips and face, with a belt around his arm and a needle besides him. I never want to see that image again. Unfortunately, now it is burned into my mind.
My wife called 911, and I started CPR. I had not done CPR in 25 years and never on a live person before . . . and most definitely not on my son. I have seen some scary shit before in my life, but this was the most terrifying, emotional roller coaster imaginable. After about 5-10 mins, his color slowly started to come back, but he still didn't have a pulse. I thought I had lost him; he was going to die right there on the bathroom floor, with my own breath literally being one of his last. The ambulance finally arrived. He still had no pulse and they hooked up the defib. I lay there drenched in sweat and tears as they carted him away It was the most horrifying night of my life (so far).
He is back home today, still nodding off from the huge heroin dose he took, but recovering. I have no idea what is in store for us. We have all been fighting this battle for 2 years, and I thought we lost the war tonight. But we (and he) still live to fight another day.
For anyone reading this addicted to heroin, please know that there is someone out there who loves you. You have worth. Your life matters. Don't throw it away on an overdose. Don't ever give up and say that it doesn't matter what happens to you. It does. You could end up hurting yourself seriously or crushing those that care about you. And people do care about you. They really do.
- Daedalus