
Family In The Center Of The Opioid Storm
Across the country, drug overdoses have overtaken traffic crashes as the number one cause of accidental death in America. Most of these overdose deaths have been linked to opiates – drugs including opioid prescription painkillers and heroin. And Appalachian East Tennessee has been especially hard-hit by the opioid crisis. Addiction is an everyday reality for many people across the region, destroying lives and forever altering family relationships.
What is it like to have an addicted child? Where do you turn for help?
In this TruckBeat story we hear from Vince Brown, whose son, Michael, died in 2013 at age 36, shot by Vince in a struggle Roane County, Tenn., authorities determined was self-defense. Michael had been a promising former professional baseball pitcher before a career-ending injury left him with a fierce addiction to prescription opioid painkillers.
Vince recalls that at the low-point of his son's addiction to opioids, and later to other drugs, including methamphetamine, he often showed up at Vince's home demanding cash for drugs. When Vince refused, these demands sometimes turned violent, landing Michael in jail several times for assault.
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Credits:
Producer and Director: Jess Mador
Editor and Cinematographer: Phil Batta
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