Preloading

America's Heroin Epidemic

Merry and Lisa Ling
11 of 14
When Riley's father gets arrested for drug possession, police officers are dispatched to Merry's home to search for heroin. Though no drugs are found, Merry decides it's finally time to get help.

Merry begins calling area hospitals, searching for somewhere that will admit a pregnant drug addict. When a hospital agrees to take her that night, reality begins to set in. Merry panics. "I don't know what to do," she says. "I'm scared that I'll go down there, and they'll give me nothing. ... I'm sick. God, this is a frickin' nightmare."

Watch as Merry struggles with whether she should get clean. Watch

With Lisa watching from the front yard, Merry jumps in a car and speeds away. "I think the heroin was starting to wear off, so she started to get sick and so she freaked out," Lisa says. "She asked me to go with her. ... Now, I'm feeling like I should have gone with her, but I couldn't get in the car with her because she was clearly under the influence. Now we don't know where she is."
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Published 09/29/2008
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