Pain meds definitely can be a gateway into heroin/fentanyl use... They were for me. I personally don't know anybody who picked up a heroin habit one day without having ever used/abused some kind of opiate pain killer.
Pills seem more benign because they are controlled and you know what, and how much you are getting. But once you lose a connect or can't afford those pills that you might have been paying $10-$30/pop for, you need a replacement. You will be physically sick if you don't. So I'm my case,I thought, "what the hell, I'll get get some heroin (living in St. Louis made that easy) and just snort it...it's basically the same thing and it's not like I'm shooting it!!" ... Needless to say, that ROA quickly loses it's effectiveness and the needle quickly follows.
It's scary as a mother fucker.i was a recent college grad with a new heroin problem. The shit doesn't discriminate.
1 year sober this month.