Heroin Addiction Statistics in Austin, Texas
In the wake of the fentanyl epidemic, heroin addiction has been overshadowed. As fentanyl addiction has increased fatal heroin overdoses have decreased, however, this doesn't necessarily mean that fewer people are using the powerful opioid.
The Drug Enforcement Administration defines heroin as a strong opiate that is highly addictive, quickly creating a physical dependence that’s hard to break without medical assistance. Heroin can be a natural substance from poppy plants or is processed from morphine. It’s either a white or brown powder that is typically snorted or smoked. There is also black tar heroin that is sticky and usually smoked. The powder forms of heroin can be mixed with water and injected for an extremely potent high.
Because heroin is often mixed with other substances it is difficult for a user to know exactly how much of the drug they are ingesting. This increases the likelihood of overdoses even among people with a heroin addiction that have used the drug many times.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Travis County has one of the highest incidences of emergency department visits in Texas due to heroin use.
- Approximately 51,000 Texans who are 18 or older have used heroin.
- Heroin overdose deaths in Texas and the Austin area have declined significantly since 2020, while the rate of fatal fentanyl overdoses has risen sharply.
- Travis County is ranked 5th out of the metros in Texas for fatal heroin overdoses.
- The rate of heroin use among teens remains low, with 1% or less of high school and college students in Texas reporting use at any time.
Statistics on Heroin Addiction in Austin and the State of Texas
Most people who use heroin didn’t start with the drug first. They first used other drugs, often prescription opioids before progressing to heroin use.
One of the best indicators of how heroin use is trending is emergency department visits. Data from the Texas Center for Health Statistics showed that statewide the rate of emergency department visits for heroin went from 6.7 per 100,000 people in 2016 to 7.6 per 100,000 people in 2021. Of the 2,287 heroin related ED visits in Texas, 245 happened in Travis County. That works out to be 7 heroin related ED visits per 100,000 people in the Austin area.
This data suggests that heroin use has increased slightly in recent years across Texas, and the Travis County region has one of the highest incidences of medical emergencies from heroin drug abuse. However, based on ED visits and poison center calls, Dallas and Houston have a higher prevalence of heroin use disorder.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has also collected data on drug use in Texas. Their National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2021-2022 found that 51,000 Texans who were 18+ years old had used heroin within a year of responding.
Heroin Overdose Statistics
At first glance the heroin overdose statistics in Austin and the rest of Texas appear to be encouraging because overdose deaths have been on the decline. Unfortunately, this is due to the availability of Narcan and an increase in fentanyl use, which has become a substitute for heroin among Texans with an opioid addiction.
The City of Austin reported that between 2006 and 2016 heroin was the leading cause of fatal overdoses in Travis County with 262 deaths being attributed to the drug. During that same time just 88 deaths were caused by the synthetic opioids fentanyl and tramadol collectively. Compare that to overdose death statistics from the last few years and it’s clear that fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin, has replaced heroin as the most abused opioid. Preliminary reports for just half of 2024 show there have been 85 deaths in Travis County for fentanyl alone despite the widespread distribution of Narcan.
The city report from 2006-2016 also highlighted how lethal heroin addiction is in Travis County. Heroin users accounted for less than 3% of hospitalizations for drug overdose in that 10-year span, but heroin use led to 19% of all drug overdose deaths.
More recent reports from the City of Austin note a significant drop in heroin overdoses. In 2018 33% of all overdoses in the Austin metro were due to heroin use. It ended up dropping to just 14% in 2021.
Data from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office shows that between 2020 and 2022 fatal overdoses from heroin dropped again from 56 to 33 deaths a year. During that same period of time fatal fentanyl overdoses skyrocketed from 35 to 245 deaths.
The Texas Center for Health Statistics tracks fatal overdoses by region. Region 7, which includes Travis County, recorded slightly higher fatal overdoses from heroin. Reports for the region put the number of deaths from heroin abuse at 79 in 2020 and 38 for 2022.
Across the state deadly heroin overdoses have declined since 2020. Travis County is ranked 5th of the largest metros in Texas for fatal heroin overdoses with just 16 such deaths recorded in 2023, which shows a further decline. Harris County had the highest number of heroin related deaths with 87 deaths reported in 2023.
However, as mentioned above, opioid use and related overdose deaths haven’t declined. Between 2020 and 2023 the number of fatal fentanyl overdoses went from 80 deaths to 336 deaths in the Travis County region. The City of Austin reports that fentanyl overdoses rose from 4% of all overdoses in 2018 to 36% in 2021.
Heroin Substance Abuse Among Teens and College Students in Austin, TX
Statistics on heroin use among teens suggests that public education about the dangers of opioids is paying off. The 2022 Texas School Survey of Drugs and Alcohol Use revealed that almost no high school aged teens had used heroin at any point. All students in 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade reported never using heroin. In the group of 9th graders that were surveyed 1% reported heroin use. Sadly, the average age of first using heroin was just 12.8 years old.
Data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health for 2021 and 2022 verifies the use rates reported by school-age teens. The survey notes that heroin use was so rare among 12-17 year olds it produced a statistics of 0 for the average percentage.
The Texas Department of State Health Services found that heroin use has remained largely unchanged among college students in the state. In 2015 98.7% of college students stated they had never done heroin. Six years later in 2021, 99.4% of college students said the same. Just 0.1% stated they had done heroin within the last year.
Getting Heroin Addiction Treatment in Austin
Breaking free of a heroin addiction is extremely hard for anyone. Ceasing use results in severe withdrawal symptoms that can cause a life threatening reaction. For that reason, it’s highly recommended that those with a heroin substance abuse disorder seek medical help during the detox phase. Once an individual is past the detox phase, further addiction treatment is needed for full recovery and relapse prevention.
*Any Length Retreat is a supportive, educational recovery system and community. It is not a substitute for psychotherapy, clinical, or medical treatment for substance use disorders or mental health disorders.
