PAStop, an initiative of Commonwealth Prevention Alliance (CPA), is designed to educate Pennsylvanians about the risks of prescription painkiller and heroin use, the relationship between painkiller and heroin use, and what to do when you need help.
Heroin and prescription painkillers (with brand names like Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycontin) are both opiates. They affect the brain and body in very similar ways. Either one can lead to addiction and overdose.
The U.S. is in the midst of an epidemic of opiate addiction and overdose. Overdose deaths from prescription painkillers have quadrupled since 1999. Deaths from heroin have tripled in the last five years. Pennsylvania has a higher overdose rate than most states.
Funded through a generous grant from the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), and workgroup partners, PAStop.org has developed free materials about opiate addiction for D&A professionals to download and distribute, as well as information and resources for anyone looking for HELP.
