Lost
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PublishedMarch 29, 2017
Lives lost: A bartender, a father, a glass blower, a teen
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PublishedMarch 28, 2017
Lives lost: A veteran, a loving grandson, a favorite cousin, an only child
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PublishedMarch 28, 2017
Disease or bad behavior: Does addiction call for compassion or punishment?
Drugs with the power to disorient a user's moral compass create a fundamental split in how addicts are perceived, and the difference trickles into the public policy and resources meant to combat the crisis. Meanwhile, as the societal response wavers, people are dying.
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PublishedMarch 27, 2017
Lives lost: A mechanic, a beloved uncle, a house painter, a young mother
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PublishedMarch 27, 2017
Families hit hard: For some caught in crisis, tragedies multiply
Because addiction is driven largely by genetic and environmental factors, overdoses can strike the same home twice, compounding the sense of grief and shame that is common among the epidemic's survivors.
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
Resources for users who want to stop, and how others can help
Q: I want to learn more about addiction. Where can I go? A: The National Institute of Drug Abuse has extensive resources about the science of addiction. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a good tool for learning about different treatment options and what they entail. The Alliance for Addiction and […]
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
Note from the editor: How the 10-part ‘Lost’ series came to be
As a devastating public health crisis tore through families and communities across the state, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram set out to document the heroin epidemic’s impact. A team of reporters sought to understand the causes and consequences of the rapidly rising death toll by listening to firsthand accounts of survivors – the loved […]
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
Opioids rewire – and take control of – the brain
From its initial use, heroin alters chemical processes in the nervous system and makes the agony of withdrawal an overwhelming deterrent to quitting.
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
Death toll: Numbers show overdose deaths in Maine continue to climb
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PublishedMarch 26, 2017
Holding on: Listen to memories from those who have lost loved ones
Mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers cherish clothing, cars and jewelry from those who died of overdose.