Shining spotlight on America's growing heroin problem

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- ABC stations across the country are shining the spotlight on America's growing heroin epidemic.

The CDC says 129 Americans die from a drug overdose every day, and two thirds of those deaths involve heroin or opioids.

"We're the last alternative," said Eugene Hall, director with Cenikor. "We're the last house on the block."

It's a house in Deer Park, where countless people walk in, hoping to start anew

"We're seeing 18-year-olds with a history of addiction, from alcohol to drug abuse," said Hall.

Cenikor has seen it all and they say the worst addiction impacting our area is heroin.

"If they don't receive treatment, they will die from it," Hall said.

Tommy Stephens is recovering from drug addiction. He became addicted at a very young age.

That first high became a destructive love affair.

"It becomes my lover. I traded everything for her; everything," he said. "The crimes got heavier to support the habit."

Eventually he lost everything.

"I was once a father," he said.

He decided to walk into Cenikor and never looked back. It has been 19 months.

"There is life after this," he said. "You gotta want it."

And the prime example of that statement, walks among them every day.

"My addiction was alcohol and crack cocaine," said Hall.

Hall has been clean for about a decade. He graduated from Cenikor with one goal in mind.

"One day, I will come back and become a director of this program," he said.

Hall says starting over is never easy, but it can happen even when you're at your lowest point.