“They’re so shocked that it’s a celebrity that has died of a heroin overdose when we lose people every day even in Orange County to the same exact thing. The face of heroin is our children.”

~Natalie Costa, Behind the Orange Curtain

Cheap, powerful heroin – most of it flowing in over the Mexican border – is a major cause for concern in Orange County. According to the 2017 Drug & Alcohol Morbidity & Mortality in Orange County report, which is put out jointly by the OC Sheriff’s Office and the county’s Health Care Agency, almost 67% of all alcohol or drug-related deaths are due to opioids.

Increasingly in Orange County, heroin is part of the problem. 2013-2015, 44% of opioid-related deaths in the county involved heroin, either alone or in combination with prescription painkillers. This reflects a recent trend throughout America:

• Between 2001 and 2014, the number overdose deaths in the US involving heroin skyrocketed sixfold.
• In 2015, 12,989 Americans died because of heroin.
• 21,000 adolescents (12-17) used heroin in 2015.
• An estimated 6000-plus teenagers have a heroin use disorder right now.

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“I would say this is an epidemic in America. Certainly it’s an epidemic in South Orange County, Los Angeles County, throughout California. Our kids are dying. These are good kids, these are athletes, these are cheerleaders, these are A students.”

~Dr. Robert Winokur, OC’s Mission Hospital

Heroin users have multiple slang terms – DOZENS of nicknames – and openly buy and sell heroin, leaving their concerned loved ones none the wiser.

Teenage Slang Terms for Heroin

• 3/4/8
• Bad Bundle
• Black
• Black Eagle/Pearl/Stuff/Tar
• Blanco
• Bombita
• Bonita
• Boy
• Brea
• Brown
• Brown Crystal/Rhine/Stone/Sugar/Tape
• Caballo
• Calbo
• Carga
• Carne
• Chapopote
• Chatarra
• Cheeva/Chiba/Chiva/Chieva
• Chicle
• China White
• Cocofan
• Crap/Crop
• Dope
• Dragon
• Flea Powder
• Garbage
• Gato
• H/Big H
• Hera/Hero
• Heron
• Horse
• Junk
• La Buena
• Mexican Brown/Horse/Mud
• Polvo
• Ragweed
• Sack
• Scag/Scat
• Skunk
• Smack
• Snow/Snowball
• Tar
• Tecata
• Tigre
• Tigre Blanco/del Norte
• Vidrio
• White Boy/Girl/Stuff
• Zoquete

Teenage Slang Terms for Heroin Combinations

Heroin is often combined with other drugs:

• Marijuana + Heroin = Atom Bomb, Canade, Woo-Woo/Woolie/Woola
• Alprazolam + Heroin = Bars
• LSD + Heroin = Beast, LBJ
• Crack + Heroin = 8-Ball, Dragon Rock, Moon Rock, Chocolate Rock
• Cold Medicine + Heroin = Cheese
• Fentanyl + Heroin = China White
• MDMA + Heroin = H-Bomb, Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Methamphetamine + Heroin = Meth Speedball
• Morphine + Heroin = New Jack Swing, Cotton Brothers
• Alcohol + Cocaine + Methamphetamine + Rohypnol + Heroin = “5-way”

Teenage Slang Terms for Heroin Paraphernalia

• Bag/Balloon – typical packaging/quantity of heroin, usually .15 g
• Chipper – an occasional heroin user
• Cook – preparing the drug for injection
• Give Wings – instructing another on how to inject heroin
• Nod – experiencing the effects of heroin
• Rig/Point/Works – paraphernalia used to cook and/or inject heroin (syringe, spoon, etc.)

Why Is It Important to Know the Teenage Slang Terms for Heroin?

Learning these teenage slang terms associated with heroin use can help you do a better job recognizing if your adolescent or teen is at risk. Heroin is deadly, especially when combined with alcohol or opioids. So, the sooner you can recognize a problem, the sooner you can get your child the professional help and support they need.

For over 35 years, Teensavers Treatment Centers in Orange County, California, has been the go-to resource for teenagers and families in crisis because of substance abuse and/or co-occurring emotional or behavioral disorders. If you need help, contact Teensavers today for a confidential assessment.

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