Drug Theft Turns Fatal in Las Vegas

Early this month, a man died when two men entered his home with the goal of stealing his stash of heroin and cash. Thomas Frank Jones V was 35. His girlfriend and roommate were home with him, and though both attempted to help him fight off the two men who entered the house, the struggle over his box of heroin and cash ended when one of the two assailants shot him in the head. Jones died on the scene, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, but thanks to anonymous tips provided to police officers after reports of the incident were first published, the two assailants were identified and arrested on charges of murder, burglary with a firearm, and two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon.

Heroin: Many Faces of Death

Substance use, abuse, and addiction can be life-threatening in a number of different ways. Use of deadly drugs like heroin puts one at risk of death due to overdose, death due to accident under the influence, and death caused by dangerous situations like the one described above.

Addiction is not just defined by use of a drug but a cadre of choices, hidden or not, that are made outside the bounds of safety. This can range from little things like ignoring the need for doctors’ appointments for routine checkups to huge things like engaging in criminal acts to make money because it is not possible to be functional in the workplace while living with a heroin addiction.

Though the men who entered Jones’s home with the intent to take his drugs and cash are by all means to blame for his death, the story provides a striking and honest truth to those left behind. That is, because he was living in active addiction, Jones was in a situation created by continued use of drugs that ultimately ended his life far too early. There are risks to life under all circumstances, but when heroin addiction is an ongoing issue, deadly risks are taken every single day, and to avoid treatment is to implicitly accept the consequences of living with an untreated disease.

Choosing Life

Treatment is not easy. There is no one straight path forward for all who have the desire to go from living in addiction to living in recovery. Each person has a unique set of issues that they must manage due to their unique experience before and during active drug use. For this reason, treatment plans are often fluid. They begin with foundational elements and are altered and changed over time as the individual sets and reaches different treatment goals.

Because recovery is not an overnight process, the decision to make choices that promote healthy living and decrease risks is one that must be made every day in recovery. The risk of relapse is always there – to a greater or lesser degree depending on the confluence of emotions and events on any given day, but present still nonetheless. Everyone in recovery is recommended to remain vigilant, always working to ensure that every choice, no matter how small, is made with an eye toward balance and health.

Healthy Choices Everyday

What does it mean to make sure that all choices are made with the goal of staying healthy and safe in recovery? It means paying attention to details and not “cutting corners” or otherwise taking risks that could undermine your physical health, mental health, or important relationships, putting your sobriety in jeopardy. You can:

• Prioritize getting to the doctor and dentist regularly for checkups as well as when you are sick to get regular support.
• Spend time with positive people. Good attitudes are contagious!
• Have specific goals you are working toward in life to achieve your dreams and improve your quality of life.
• Be forgiving not just of others who make mistakes or say or do hurtful things, but also of yourself. You are not expected to be perfect, and forgiving yourself is just as important as forgiving other people.
• Prioritize self-care. That means creating a schedule around getting a good, restful amount of sleep every night, eating healthy meals regularly throughout the day to keep your energy and mood up, and getting regular cardiovascular and weight-bearing exercise.