Heroin abuse is a very destructive cycle, and heroin overdose is usually accidental and often fatal. The person using the drug never intends to harm or kill themselves with the shot or the line of powder, they are simply trying to feed their addiction. A tiny miscalculation can be deadly though, and when the person with a heroin abuse problem has tried to stay clean their tolerance for the drug drops. This is one of the most common causes for a heroin overdose, and recovering addicts who leave treatment and then relapse are at a very high risk for an overdose death because they are actually clean and sober for the first time in months or even years. This increases their risk for overdose because their tolerance for heroin abuse is gone.
Those who are lucky enough to survive a heroin overdose need counseling and treatment, and so do family members and friends who have been exposed to the behavior. Individuals who find a loved one who has had a heroin overdose are traumatized, and that is an image that does not seem to fade away. Heroin abuse hurts everyone, not just the user, and this is a drug that destroys families and lives. There are many negative emotions that must be worked through, and counseling can help. The individual who engages in heroin abuse must receive effective treatment and work through their issues, otherwise they will not recover fully and will eventually end up relapsing. This can cause a fatal heroin overdose to occur, and the survivors are left with nothing but questions and guilt.