Warning: This Drug May Kill You

This HBO documentary is an OK introduction to opioid addiction as it exists in 2017. It's only an hour long and features a handful of families sharing their stories of addiction. In each case, the opioid addiction started with individuals being prescribed opioids for pain relief, but without needed education, support, and oversight. Individuals were prescribed high doses of multiple medications for too long, and they became addicted and then progressed to heroin when the prescriptions are cut off by the doctor and the (now) addicted person learned that heroin is cheaper than buying pills on the street.

I hear this story all the time in my work with people with substance use disorders. It's like a bad dream that recurs over and over again. But it's real, and I'm only seeing a drop in a larger ocean of pain.

I do wish HBO had gone ahead and made a 2-hour film (at least) with more in-depth information, including how the drug works in the brain/body of the addicted person, why one person becomes addicted and another doesn't, what kinds of treatment are most effective in supporting long-term recovery, the ways for families and other loved ones to support people in addiction and recovery, and the kinds of policies and programs needed to reduce the incidence of addiction and to help those who are addicted, etc. (I know HBO touched more on these matters in their 2007 Addiction movie, but that was 10 years ago.) It seems unfortunate to me that the movie introduced the problem with so little to say about what can be done to address it. Especially at a time when the current Republican government seems hell-bent on cutting insurance coverage for addiction treatment!

In a nutshell, this isn't a bad place to start if you've heard about the so-called opioid epidemic but don't know anyone affected and feel that the problem is someone else's and could never happen to you or your loved ones. But, it leaves a ton of questions unasked and mostly unanswered.

This documentary looks at several middle class families and how well adjusted people had various illnesses of short duration and ended up addicted to OxyContin, then buying pills off the street when their doctors finally identified them as drug seekers, then to heroin as a cheap alternative, and then either ended up dead or in multiple relapses.

The illnesses involved were kidney stones, a cyst, and a C-section. The problem is, in the 1990s the manufacturers of the new opioid drugs were telling doctors that these drugs were not addictive over the long haul and that they could be prescribed freely for chronic pain. This is not to discount the usefulness these drugs have had for people in truly horrible long term pain due to cancer or car accidents, but M.D.s were passing prescriptions out like candy for a few years to people who didn't really need it and found themselves addicted in as little as one week.

There are stories of addiction, getting clean at clinics, and then relapsing at some point once released. Stories of children having to take care of and see their mother in a state that no children should have to endure, the stories of heartbroken survivors when the addict takes a fatal overdose.

There is also a look at a support group for parents who have lost children to this drug. The survivors are truly shell shocked, almost in disbelief that their Mayberry like existences would ever be permeated by drug addiction.

I can't remember if the documentary mentioned it or not, but you can't help but notice that everybody in this documentary is white and at least middle class. It could be because doctors have bias that makes them suspect non-white or poor patients. You also can't help but notice that all of the addicts here are offered rehab rather than incarceration.

This documentary is worth watching not because it breaks new ground, but because in spite of the warnings and the settlement with Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, ten years ago, this epidemic is still with us.

This documentary is a cautionary tale about opioid addiction that packs a real punch. This isn't just another story about drug addition, it's a look into the lives of people who unwittingly became addicts due to medication they were legally prescribed. It's very powerful, very upsetting, and does a great job of shining a light on this problem. It's well worth an hour of your time.

I loved this film- although the material is incredibly heavy, it presents the footage in an incredibly graceful and interesting way. The film essentially uncovers a hidden problem that exists in the USA. Moreover, the film is all about the victims of the opioid epidemic as opposed to focusing on experts which really provides the viewer with a candid understanding of what is happening around us. It is a must watch!!! Bravo to the filmmakers-

This is one great documentary. I couldn't stop watching as the subjects and their stories are so compelling that it's impossible to turn away. It's about the current opioid epidemic that's sweeping the country and taking lives of otherwise healthy productive people. The hook of the drug is insidious and grabs people like a Venus Fly Trap. The irony is that many if not most of the cases could be avoided if the doctors and hospitals that dispense the drugs so freely were more cautious about giving them out and providing adequate guidelines as to the potential hazards involved. In other words many of the cases of addiction which sometimes led to death, could be avoided. At one point I had tears running down my face as I was so moved by the stories of loss and sadness that all I wanted to do was hug my kid with the thought of putting a protective wall around her. Thank you HBO and kudos to the production team. Well done.