High school was finally over, and it was time to move on to bigger things. As you prepared for graduation, you decided to go to college at East Tennessee State University. Your dad lived down in the area so you wouldn’t have to pay for housing. Even though you had been estranged for the last […]
Julie had a history of opioid use but had been in recovery for almost a year. Layoffs at work had made life stressful, and Julie unfortunately returned to use. She had been managing anxiety her whole life and felt like opioids were the only way out. She felt like taking any opioid she could get […]
Lillian tossed and turned in an unfamiliar bed. Her eyes strained from the lack of sleep from the past 48 hours. She was questioning if giving up opioids was even worth it. All she felt were intense cravings and extreme fatigue with no relief. There was no feeling that this was the “best choice she […]
Max sat beside his son’s lifeless body, a tear escaping his eyes at the funeral home. He knew something was wrong but didn’t want to believe it. He knew his son had a past with opioids, but he had sought treatment. Max felt that his son was on a safe path even though his son […]
George was at a local bar on a Friday night. He had injected heroin earlier that day before he went to work. He was an electrician, and whatever money he made, he used to buy heroin. He felt he was always desperate for something to help ease the cravings and agitation that he was feeling. […]
Sean had been partier since his college years. He felt he had to be at every party just to feel alive. At first, it just started with alcohol. He would drink until he couldn’t remember anything anymore. It helped hide the emotional stress and pain that he was going through. He always felt like life […]
Your reality includes some scary things. Just last week, you shot up like usual and the heroin seemed stronger than normal, so you felt pretty high. On your way to bed that evening, you brushed your teeth and headed toward the bedroom like it was any other night.You fumbled with the doorknob but couldn’t get […]
You’ve heard about the dangers of fentanyl, but you thought it would be safe to try it just a few times, in small doses. But after a couple of uses, it stopped working and you felt nothing. Now it’s 2 a.m. again and you can’t relax enough to fall asleep. What happened? How could something […]
Your life has taken a different direction than you ever thought it would. It all started when your mom died of cancer just a few years ago. In your grief, you just wanted the pain to end. When you cleaned out her medicine cabinet, you found the leftover pain pills, and before you knew it […]
You walk into the quiet room to find your 52-year-old husband looking like a frozen statue. He is seated with his elbows flexed and fists clenched while his neck is held stiff in a bent position. He doesn’t move or speak, even when you call his name repeatedly. Attempts to touch or lightly shake him […]
