I have consumed a lot of media about the opioid epidemic in the US. I’ve read Empire of Pain and Dreamland, I’ve watched the HBO documentary, and I was halfway through the TV show of Dopesick before my book club picked it as our next read. Even still, I got a lot out of this one.

While Empire of Pain focused on the Sackler family and how Purdue Pharma set the opioid crisis in motion, Dopesick focused more on the impacts of opioids to individuals and families. Something that I got from this book that I knew in my head but hadn’t fully grasped was just how desperate users of opioids can get, and why they can’t just stop using. The focus on dopesickness stood out in this book. A major point that this book drove home is that it’s very often not the case that people who are addicted to opioids are seeking their next high - it’s that they are desperately trying to avoid the horrible painful withdrawal.

The Sackler family has still not adequately paid for their crimes. The way Oxy devastated entire communities while they pushed for higher sales and victim blamed is truly despicable. If you don’t know much about the opioid crisis, this is a great book to start with. It was great on audio and I’d definitely recommend it. The show is also really good - it’s fictionalized, but I could tell who different characters were based on after reading the book. I always have to plug Empire of Pain as well - of the three books that I’ve read on this topic, it’s a standout.