Chronicles America's more than twenty-year struggle with opioid addiction, from the introduction of OxyContin in 1996, through the spread of addiction in distressed communities in Central Appalachia, to the current national crisis.

It's early 2000 on New York City's Upper East Side, and the alienation of Moshfegh's unnamed young protagonist from others is nearly complete when she initiates her yearlong siesta, during which time she experiences limited personal interactions. Her parents have died; her relationships with her bulimic best friend Reva, an ex-boyfriend, and her drug-pushing psychiatrist are unwholesome. As her pill-popping intensifies, so does her isolation and determination...

The information in this volume provides insight into the impact and consequences of the prescription drug abuse problem in the United States, the causes of prescription drug addiction, and proposed and existing government policies that are hotly debated in the ongoing effort to effectively confront the prescription drug abuse problem in this country. Varied expert opinions that examine many of the different aspects that surround this issue are presented....

When Hatteras Island old-timer Iola Anne Poole passes away at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage finds herself charged with cleaning out Iola's rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi Jo Reese never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola's walls. But all that changes when she discovers eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a...

Examines the toll of opioid addiction in the U.S. on individuals, families, and communities through personal stories, including a couple who lost their son to prescription painkillers, and expert commentary.

Thyme Gilcrest uses a friend's Ritalin to help her get through crunch time at school and develops a full-blown addiction, becoming the ringleader for a prescription drug trade in her circle of overachieving friends.

"A silent epidemic in the United States is imperiling our health and threatens to bankrupt our health care system: overmedication. Today, one-third of all adults take two or more prescription drugs, and half of all seniors take more than five daily. This book the first of its kind that tackles the epidemic overuse of prescription drugs. The first half of the book describes the dangers of taking too many drugs, including drug interactions, medication...