Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic

Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic by Harry Wiland
Turner Publishing: 2/25/20
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9781684423231

Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic by Harry Wiland, with Peter Segall, is a very highly recommended look at the opioid crisis, expanding on the information from the National Public Television series.

The three part mini-series Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic presented by author and director, Harry Wiland covered the history and the truth behind the opioid epidemic. "The goal of Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic media project is to save lives through prevention and greater education about the scourge of opioid addiction. This book includes longer passages from the many in-depth interviews in the series and digs deeper into the issues of addiction and its treatment. Over a hundred key individuals appeared in the series, so this book was always planned as part of the full media coverage along with the documentary to fully present all the information. 

America's opioid crisis is an on-going public epidemic brought on by Big Pharma’s advertising ploys and misinformation, the medical community's inattentiveness over prescribing opioid painkillers, and a lack of policies and oversight restricting the prescription of these highly addictive drugs. This is, as has been repeatedly said, "the worst man-made drug epidemic in the history of our nation." If you don't know several families affected by this epidemic, I would be , quite frankly shocked. It is prevalent across the country with some areas hit harder than others.

The information from this book and the documentary needs to be spread across the country.

"More people die each year from an opioid drug overdose than in automobile accidents. The statistics are staggering. Do No Harm spotlights experts, journalists, and public health crusaders who are combating the special interests of Big Pharma and informing the world on how an aggressive pharmaceutical mass marketing campaign for the new drug OxyContin misled doctors and the public into our current crisis of death and addiction."

"Wiland highlights the stories of those hit hardest by prescription opioid addiction and overdose death, and sheds light on how whole communities have been ravaged by the spread of addiction. Despite regional health experts, local government, law enforcement, journalists, and the DEA’s efforts to combat the epidemic, people continue to die at an alarming rate from prescription drug overdoses. The chapters of this book chronicle this opioid epidemic in all its complexity from many perspectives including the plight of the millions of Americans who suffer from opioid addiction. People, young and old on the rocky road to recovery, tell their harrowing stories, current victories, and on-going struggles with the disease."

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Turner Publishing.