Opioid drug abuse is one of the leading causes of death under 50, cutting across all age groups, races, and both sexes throughout America. According to filmmaker John Grant’s PBS-aired documentary, narrated by William Fichtner, this pain killer "hijacks the brain" and can take over one’s life. Prescribed by mostly well-meaning doctors (over 240 million prescriptions are written each year), opioids can start users on a slippery downhill slope that ultimately leads addicts to seek out cheaper street alternatives such as heroin and fentanyl. Many become hooked on pain medications following an accident or surgery, with more aggressive treatments encouraged by profit-minded pharmaceutical companies. West Virginia has been particularly hard hit, affecting both schools and the larger communities. Nationally, opioid abuse has racked up costs of 75 billion dollars, affecting healthcare insurers on both ends—treatment for a patient's pain, followed by treatment to wean patients off the drugs. Patients and doctors interviewed here note that addiction is a chronic disease, and that recovery is a long and difficult road with frequent relapses, especially since the attached stigma dissuades many sufferers from finding help. Opioid addiction has no cure, only a "daily reprieve," aided by education, prevention, and early identification. The documentary concludes that it is a national "disease of denial," and that we are all potentially one accident away from being hooked. An informative, timely, and valuable film, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
Understanding the Opioid Epidemic
(2018) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. SDH captioned. ISBN: 978-1-5317-0419-3. Volume 33, Issue 5
Understanding the Opioid Epidemic
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