I was lucky enough to never had found heroin... there were many many times that I would have taken it 100% if I had been offered it or had stumbled across it. I knew exactly where to get it, but made a conscious effort to avoid it as I knew where it would end up. That's not to say pills don't take to you to a similarly fucked up place, but once you start doing street heroin, life is quickly fading away.
As for the subs, yes they are a lifesaver... in Canada we've recently reduced restrictions and it is now easier to get access to suboxone. The biggest problem still is educating people about how it works and how to get access. When I was going through my worst stages of addiction, I had no clue what suboxone actually did and how much it helped. I want to eventually stop taking them as it would be nice to not be dependent on anything... I've started reducing my dosage but I'm going to take it very slow. Hoping at this time next year I'm off the subs as well. Have you needed them before Drak?