The Beginning of the End: Ruben & Heroin

This film unapologetically reveals the true realities of heroin addiction. Ruben, a recovering heroin addict, recounts clearly and openly how addiction has affected his life and continues to affect it today. He discusses how his heroin use went beyond fun and recreational very early on in his experimentation, and quickly turned into the "sustenance" of his simple day-to-day functioning.

Sharing needles became extremely common in his circle, eventually causing him to contract Hepatitis. Ruben remembers relocating at one point to get sober and start a new life, but even with the best of intentions, he fell back into the trap of addiction. "These things will find you," he says, "they will hunt you down."

He talks about how he wishes someone had told him as a teenager what he was truly getting himself into with heroin and addiction, that things may have been different - better - if he knew the realities of this lifestyle before he started. Ruben tells his story in hopes of helping others, especially young people, who are entertaining the thought of using heroin. In addition to the powerful testimony of Ruben, the film features expert input by John Bradshaw, one of the country's leading figures in the field of addiction and recovery.