Maine heroin/opioids

Published
March 28, 2017

Maine attorney general launches ad warning of link between prescription painkillers, heroin

Four in 5 heroin users say they started on a prescription, says Janet Mills, whose office produced the spot that will appear on television in the coming months.
Published
March 28, 2017

Lives lost: A veteran, a loving grandson, a favorite cousin, an only child
Published
March 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.
Published
March 27, 2017

Lives lost: A mechanic, a beloved uncle, a house painter, a young mother
Published
March 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.

Published
March 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.
Published
March 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 […]
Published
March 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 […]
Published
March 26, 2017

Death toll: Numbers show overdose deaths in Maine continue to climb
Published
March 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.