Amber Masters, a Morningside Recovery employee, shares her powerful story of addiction, loss, and recovery in the Sports Illustrated article, “How Painkillers are Turning Young Athletes into Heroin Addicts”. Amber’s story reveals the terrifying relationship between sports injury and heroin addiction.
Amber’s Story
A decade ago Amber was a gifted forward on her high school soccer team. She hoped to land a spot on a college team. But then she was injured during a game and prescribed the opiate painkiller, NorCo. She quickly became dependent on the drug and wanted more. After her NorCo prescription expired, she started taking Oxycodone, and then graduated onto heroin. Heroin is a cheaper and more powerful opiate, so some young athletes turn to it after taking prescription painkillers for injuries.
Amber’s soccer career was over, she dropped out of college, and became a drug dealer. She had a daughter who became increasingly difficult to care for. Her younger brother, Adam, became addicted to heroin, and died in 2012 of an overdose. After Adam’s death, her addiction completely spiraled out of control, and she knew if she continued using heroin she wouldn’t be around for her daughter.
She made the decision to go to rehab and rebuilt her life. She has been sober since October 19, 2012 and works in the billing department at Morningside Recovery.
Sports Injury and Heroin Addiction
Unfortunately, Amber’s story is common among athletes and others who rely on prescription painkillers. Often, doctors overprescribe painkillers, leading many people to become dependent on them and graduate into more dangerous drugs, such as heroin. Although many lawmakers and medical professionals are pushing back against over prescribing, the problem already affects millions of Americans.
Treatment at Morningside Recovery
Morningside Recovery is a premiere addiction treatment center that specializes in addiction and mental health treatment. Our addiction treatment services offer both heroin addiction treatment and prescription drug addiction treatment to help people from all walks of life overcome their struggles with substance abuse. If you or someone you love needs comprehensive addiction treatment, then call us today at 855-416-8202 to learn how to get started.
