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BBC: Hooked On Painkillers (29:21)
This BBC program investigates the increasing number of opioid painkillers being prescribed at famlly doctor level, with one leading pain specialist now seeing patients at pain clinics on doses well above the amount believed to be effective. The rise in the use of these painkillers, which come from the same chemical family as heroin, could be putting these patients at higher risk of side effects—including addiction—with potentially little effect on their chronic pain. The team travels to Kentucky in the U.S. to look at the effect opioids have had on areas there, finding that many people are abusing prescription medications, and in the U.K. meets a person who became seriously addicted after being prescribed opioids following surgery.
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Fixing the Opioid Crisis (23:00)
Soaring addiction and overdose death rates have spurred calls for a comprehensive prevention and treatment response. Yet too few people are getting care that works. What would a better system look like, and what are insurers willing to pay for?
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HBO: Addiction Series (14-part series, 21-87 minutes each)
Featuring valuable case studies and expert commentary, this 14-part series offers a wide-ranging look at the science and the human face of addiction. Personal stories from drug users and their family members are combined with in-depth perspectives from leading psychologists, drug counselors, and other experts on substance abuse. Educators will find the series format—beginning with a comprehensive overview followed by 13 short documentaries—helpful for both group discussions and lectures. Contains mature themes, occasional explicit language, and some graphic injury footage. An HBO Production. 14-part series, 21-87 minutes each.
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HBO: Warning - This Drug May Kill You (59:10)
From journalist/producer/director Perri Peltz (HBO’s Risky Drinking), Warning: This Drug May Kill You takes an unflinching look at the devastating effects of opioid addiction in the U.S., profiling four families who have seen their lives tragically changed by abuses involving their loved ones, whose addictions arose due to doctors’ prescriptions of dangerous painkillers. Through the personal and emotional stories of those who have dealt with addiction, either as a user or concerned family member, the film sheds light on the struggles of ordinary people whose lives turned on a dime after minor and major ailments led to the over-prescription of highly addictive opioids, which are often the gateway to heroin. Featuring home videos and pictures that humanize this health crisis, along with important statistics and information about opioid use and treatment, Warning: This Drug May Kill You is an eye-opening account of a terrifying epidemic America faces today, and the toll taken on addicts and their families.
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How America's Opioid Crisis Spiraled Out of Control—Bloomberg QuickTakes Full Video
The rapid rise of prescription drug abuse teamed with the availability of street drugs like heroin and fentanyl have made America's opioid epidemic impossible to ignore. This Bloomberg QuickTake examines how the opioid crisis developed and the steps people are taking to try to stop it.
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The Opioid Playbook, Part 1 (13:18)
A report on corrupt sales tactics used to encourage doctors to prescribe opioids. Law enforcement is punishing many pharmaceutical executives and doctors for engaging in bribery and other unethical tactics as incentives for prescribing the drugs. Includes interviews with Greg Tremaglio, senior special agent of the undercover arm of the FDA’s DC Office of Criminal Investigations; Alec Burlakoff, former Vice President of Sales of Insys Therapeutics; and Fred Wyshak, Nathaniel Yeager, and David Lazarus, federal prosecutors in Boston.
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Opioids, Inc. (53:18)
The story of a drug company that pushed opioids by bribing doctors and committing insurance fraud, this is an investigation of how Insys Therapeutics profited from a fentanyl-based painkiller 50 times stronger than heroin.
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PBS: How The Opioid Crisis Decimated The American Workforce (09:41)
In northeastern Ohio, employers say they see jobseekers all the time who look like "the walking dead," would-be workers struggling with opioid addiction. The problem is so great, reports economics correspondent Paul Solman, that it's had a noticeable effect on the nation's labor force.
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PBS: Understanding the Opioid Epidemic (55:18)
This program traces the causes behind the unprecedented growth in the use of prescription opioids and the devastating impact these drugs are having in virtually every part of America. It captures the story of the opioid crisis through personal stories and interviews with experts and reveals the tragic impact of the overuse of prescription painkillers on individuals, families, and communities.
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Sobriety Road (1:06:00)
SOBRIETY ROAD explores the world of addiction and the challenges to recovery. The full feature documentary includes interviews with individuals struggling with addiction, their families, inmates and professionals in the field. Sharing their insights, experiences and hope, SOBRIETY ROAD takes the viewer on a journey filled with possibilities.
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