When you stop into your local convenience store—maybe after filling up your car’s tank at the gas pumps—you might be looking for any number of things. That day’s newspaper, for example, or a cup of coffee. An insanely large fountain drink or a bag of chips or a candy bar. You might need an air freshener to hang from your rearview mirror or a lottery ticket. The list of options is surprisingly long, and while much that is on offer qualifies as junk food (which, we should note, is not the best option for a person in recovery), on the whole, most convenience store products are unlikely to lead to the development of a substance use disorder.
We say “most” because there may be one serious danger lurking on the shelves of the store—a danger that has come to be known as “gas station heroin.”
What Is ‘Gas Station Heroin’?
You are not going to find products marked “gas station heroin” at the corner convenience store. But you very well might find products that contain tianeptine or 7-hydroxymitragynine (more commonly known as 7-OH). Those substances fall under the category of gas station heroin and are actually powerful and dangerous opioids.
As a rule, you will not learn about the dangers of these substances by reading the labels on products that contain them. In fact, it is common to find products marketed as “kratom,” a name more people tend to recognize and that many believe (arguably incorrectly) is safe.
Products containing tianeptine or 7-hydroxymitragynine are often sold in packaging that claims they are kratom or contain “natural kratom extracts.” That claim is a lie—or at least terribly misleading. 7-OH, for example, is 30 times more potent than morphine, which is certainly not something you could say about native kratom leaf. Muddying the distinction between kratom and gas station heroin puts potential purchasers at grave risk.
Regulators to the Rescue
The good news for consumers is that these dangerous and incorrectly labeled products are coming under increasing scrutiny at the state and federal levels.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes the products in question should be included under the Controlled Substances Act. The FDA laid out its case clearly in a media release:
“The availability of 7-OH products is a major concern for the FDA, as consumers can easily purchase them with concentrated levels online and in gas stations, corner stores, and vape shops. The FDA is particularly concerned with the growing market of 7-OH products that may be especially appealing to children and teenagers, such as fruit-flavored gummies and ice cream cones. These products may not be clearly or accurately labeled as to their 7-OH content and are sometimes disguised or marketed as kratom.”
Regulations and laws, of course, do not always keep dangerous substances out of the hands of those determined to find them and use them. But the fact that gas station heroin has caught the eye of those charged with protecting the health of Americans is an excellent sign that you should steer clear of these products.
That is true whether you are in recovery from a substance use disorder or not. For a person in recovery, gas station heroin can undermine their hard work to leave drugs and alcohol behind and lead to a relapse. For others, mistaking these substances for something safe or beneficial can set them on a path that could easily lead to a substance use disorder. In either case, gas station heroin can upend nearly every aspect of your life—including putting your physical and mental health at serious risk.
Long and short: You know something is bad news if it has “heroin” in its name. Gas station heroin is certainly no exception.
We Are a One-Stop Shop When It Comes to Recovery
As a rule, we would not compare ourselves or our work with what goes on in a convenience store. But it is true that Bel Aire Recovery Center, located near Wichita, Kansas, is a kind of one-stop shop when it comes to treating substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, or issues stemming from traumatic experiences.
Our program starts with medically supervised detoxification, which maximizes your safety and comfort as you go through the rigors of withdrawal. Detox is followed by rehabilitation, which at Bel Aire includes group and individual therapy sessions designed to give you strategies, resources, and confidence for the recovery journey ahead. Once treatment comes to an end, you can continue to count on support from Bel Aire Recovery Center via our alumni program, which keeps you in community with others who have faced the same sorts of challenges you have experienced in the past and are experiencing in recovery.
Here is something we know is true: A substance use disorder is anything but convenient. Drugs or alcohol chip away at everything good in your life. If you are struggling with substances, it is time to make a transformational change. The team at Bel Aire Recovery Center can help.
