The Drug Crisis: Faces Behind the Struggle

Episode 13, a conversation with Good Old War's Tim Arnold

Tim Arnold of the Philadelphia based band Good Old War shares his story about his art and overcoming addiction to drugs and alcohol. We also hear one of Arnold's favorite new songs he's written about addiction.

Episode 12, A conversation with Cheryl Juaire

In 2011, Cheryl Juaire lost her 23 year old son, Corey, to an accidental drug overdose. She thought she was alone in her grief until she met people from other families grieving over their lost loved ones too. Juaire decided to create an organization, Team Sharing, to help other families dealing with the loss of a loved one to drugs.  Today, Team Sharing has chapters in nine states and is continuing to grow.

Episode 11, Discussion with Ryan Hampton, author of American Fix

Nearly two years after the US Surgeon General's Office issued its first-ever report on the state of drug abuse in the US, more than 150 people continue to die every day from addiction.  One out of three Americans has been touched by this crisis.  Ryan Hampton was part of the core team responsible for the Surgeon General's report.  A person in recovery himself, Hampton is in the center of America's rising recovery advocacy movement. He encourages victims to speak out and tell their stories in this compelling discussion.

Episode 10, How Drugs Can Devastate a Family

Karen Bailey lost her 24 year old son, Corey, in 2011 to an opioid overdose. To add to Karen's terrible burden of loss she also lost her daughter, Alyssa, Corey's younger sister, a victim of suicide nearly four years later.  Alyssa had also battled addiction and shared drugs with her brother on the day he died. While Alyssa survived at that time, her brother's death only made her addiction worse, leading to her tragic death. Karen, their mother, says it all started with marijuana.

A discussion with Taylor Lucas

Taylor, whose story was told in an earlier podcast, lost her best friend to a heroin overdose in 2011 and, in her grief, became addicted to drugs herself. She describes her year long struggle to take control of her addiction.