According to the latest statistics from the American Society of Addiction Medicine, over 20,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2015 were due to an overdose on prescription pain relievers.
With more national and local attention on the nature of opioid addiction in Alaska, KNOM’s Davis Hovey spoke to several community members who shared their experiences with opioids. For the last profile in the three-part series on opioids, we hear from Alma and Gail Smithhisler, a local mother and daughter who helped each other overcome this drug.
The Smithhislers discuss how opioids affected their relationship, the hardships they endured together due to the medications, and how they successfully removed the addictive drugs from their lives. To hear the Smithislers tell their story in this last profile on opioids, click on the audio file above.
Opioids in Western Alaska series:
