As an opioid epidemic is sweeping across the nation, filling our addiction treatment centers, more and more people are turning to heroin as a cheap, easy to acquire alternative to prescription painkillers such as OxyContin. But along with heroin use comes the potential for dangerous or risky IV and needle use, leading to serious health problems. As people struggle to receive treatment in addiction recovery facilities, the vast majority are left without resources, care, or hope, and suffer from the serious consequences of IV drug use.   Injecting heroin with a needle causes the drug to act faster. Compared to snorting the white power, injecting it into the bloodstream allows it to reach the brain more quickly, producing almost instantaneous relief as rapidly as 15 to 30 seconds after injecting. This fast-acting quality holds powerful appeal for people suffering from withdrawal from opioids, sometimes two to three times per day. However, the near-instantaneous effect of injection makes it much easier to overdose, debilitating users before they can realize what’s happening and get help.   IV drug users face effects such as skin infections and abscesses from prolonged needle use. According to the UCLA Semel Institute, 11% of IV drug users reported at least one abscess within the last six months. Users can clean the skin and sterilize the needle to reduce the chance of skin infections, but users often don’t have the resources or presence of mind to sterilize equipment….