We lost our 25-year-old son to a heroin overdose. In the wake of our son’s sudden death, we wrote our feelings of unbelief, anger, hope, despair, sadness, regrets.

Our reflections became our book, OPIATE NATION, recalling the 10-year journey with our son and his battle with addiction as he stumbled on a path for lasting recovery, with hopeful attempts and bitter failures. As we tried to understand why and how this happened, we dug into the past, searching for clues in our family, our community, and our society.

We are passionately honest in speaking about our failures and regrets because we are convinced that only by letting light into the hidden places will shame and stigma disappear and lives be saved.