
In the United States, drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death. Appalachian cities and towns are among the hardest hit by the epidemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. To better understand the opioid crisis, TruckBeat teamed up with Inside Appalachia for a special podcast episode exploring the impacts of opioid addiction on children and families.
What’s it like to be addicted to something? What's it like when your addiction makes all the rules, even how you care for your kids and whether you live or die?
We'll hear the story of Kristina Weaver, or Breezie, who grew up in southern West Virginia with a father who struggled with addiction. Her father, David Siers, died in June of 2015 of a heroin overdose.
And we'll hear a TruckBeat documentary called Life in the Crosshairs: Inside East Tennessee’s Addiction Crisis, featuring the stories and voices of people in East Tennessee's Roane County, about an hour outside of Knoxville.
Music in this special episode was provided by:
Sam Keenan, Ben Townsend, Jake Schepps and Michael Howard.

Inside Appalachia's show producer is Roxy Todd. This episode's editor is Glynis Board.