Opioids: Kicking America's Addiction

America’s got an opioid problem. So where do we go from here? What  can actually help people struggling with opioid addicti

America’s got an opioid problem. So where do we go from here? What  can actually help people struggling with opioid addiction? We speak to Dr. Anna Lembke, Dr. Marvin Seppala, and a patient we call Mischa.

UPDATE 04/17: We’ve adjusted a couple of lines of script in this episode to clarify the role of religion in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. A previous version of this episode incorrectly implied that the 12 step philosophy considers addiction a sin and a “defect of character”.

If you or someone you love is struggling with an opioid addiction, in the US you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP or visit their website.

Check out our full transcript with all the footnotes you can handle.

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This episode has been produced by Rose Rimler with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Shruti Ravindran and Romilla Karnick. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Additional editing help from Lulu Miller. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Bobby Lord. Recording help from Marissa Shieh and Julia Smith. For this episode we also spoke to Dr. Hilary Connery, Dr. Ben Davies, Prof. Linda Gowing, Dr. Laura Payne, Prof. Suzanne Nielsen, Prof. Tom McLellan, and Prof. Wayne Hall. Thank you so much for your help. And special thanks to the Rimler family, Devon Taylor, Sarah McVeigh Joseph Lavelle Wilson, and to everyone who spoke with us about their personal experiences with addiction and treatment.

Selected readings:  

• The White House report on combating drug addiction 
• This study that followed about 150 people in NA 
• This review on buprenorphine and other medications
• This review on risk of death 
• This survey that asked doctors what stopped them from prescribing buprenorphine

There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show from Gimlet Media that finds out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. We do the hard work of sifting through all the science so you don't have to. This season we tackle alcohol, fasting diets, DNA tests, race and the fertility cliff.