7 Days: The Opioid Crisis in Arkansas
Introduction
7 Days: The Opioid Crisis in Arkansas shares the stories of individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by addiction while highlighting ongoing efforts across the state to address opioid misuse and recovery. Through firsthand accounts, viewers gain insight into the realities of substance use disorder, the devastating consequences of addiction, and the challenges many people face on the path to healing.
Beyond personal stories, the documentary examines the broader opioid crisis in Arkansas, including the role of prescription opioids, heroin, fentanyl, treatment access, and community support. It also highlights the work of healthcare professionals, advocates, and families who are helping build pathways to recovery and hope.
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Quotes
Opioids do more than just stop pain. They also make us comfortable. They often have been used incorrectly to stop many types of pain, so that can be psychological pain, emotional pain because they do bring about a certain level of euphoria. But because of that euphoria, we can develop mechanistic changes in our brain that take us to the point that we desire or crave opioids more than we desire or crave other things that are necessities in our life, and that in and of itself is what opioid use disorder is – it's a disease rather than moral failing."
"When we realized we have this huge problem and doctors need to prescribe less of this, we had so many people that were already dependent on the medication … and when you decrease the supply, then patients have to turn to other sources … like heroin and now, unfortunately, things like fentanyl."1
"When I found it and I first started doing heroin, I was surprised at how amazing it made me feel. I was kind of expecting it to make me sick or to be really scary, but it was not – it was incredible. I remember thinking, this is how I want to feel for the rest of my life. The feeling of trying to change the way I felt, that was what I was searching for, something outside of myself to make myself feel comfortable … it was a constant search and chase."
"Something clicked in my brain, it was like a solution to all of my problems, so from then on, that was my solution for everything. Any emotion I didn't like, anything, I would take pain pills ... I started to become physically addicted to this stuff ... then it got to where your body builds up tolerance, so those smaller pills weren't strong enough, I had to get stronger ones, and it just progressed from there."
"Heroin felt like a warm blanket coming out of the dryer and someone wrapping you super tight in it. It just stopped all the problems for that moment; it made me just slow down … it was just a calming feeling I guess but also it was killing me."
"Towards the end of my addiction there was a period of time [with] drugs that were currently hitting the streets that were cut with fentanyl. I was so sick in my addiction that that's what I needed to get high – straight heroin, pure heroin, didn't touch me, so I overdosed 13 times all together on heroin and fentanyl."2
"Fentanyl is very serious. It's now become our number one drug threat. Last year we exceeded methamphetamine fatal overdoses with fentanyl overdoses. It's very deadly if not used correctly and these individuals that are using it on the street have very minimal knowledge of its power and that's why we're seeing overdoses."3
"Dr. Seuss said, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened, and Haley happened to this world, she truly happened to all of us. We're so lucky to have had her in our lives. She had a positive impact on all of us, and we hope you'll continue to tell Haley's story as you move forward. We know the sun will come up again tomorrow. For a while it may not be as bright as it once was, but in time we will laugh more and cry less and forever hold her in our hearts."
“I think the other thing that's hard about losing your child, about losing anybody probably, is we don't have any new memories anymore. The only memories we have are captured in pictures and videos and I can now only remember or see her in a way that has already happened.”
"This is a very important night tonight - International Overdose Awareness Day. The one thing that everybody on this bridge has in common is we hate the disease of addiction. It has taken something from us, and we all want to do something to change that."
"I'm just thankful that I made it out alive because there are many people that don't and they didn't plan that, they didn't want that to happen for their life. So, I'm grateful for this life and I don't ever, ever want to go back."
1 Restricting opioid prescribing helped reduce access to prescription painkillers but also created unintended consequences for some people already dependent on opioids. Researchers have documented how many individuals transitioned from prescription opioids to heroin and later to illicit fentanyl, which became widespread because it is inexpensive to produce, highly potent, and frequently mixed into other drugs.
2 Fentanyl is approximately 50–100 times more potent than heroin and has increasingly contaminated the illicit drug supply. While opioid tolerance can lead people to seek stronger substances, fentanyl's extreme potency and unpredictable presence in street drugs substantially increases overdose risk, even among long-term opioid users.
3 Since this documentary was released, overdose patterns in Arkansas have shifted. State reports indicate opioid-related deaths have declined from their 2021 peak, and preliminary data suggest deaths involving methamphetamine and other psychostimulants now slightly outnumber those involving synthetic opioids, though fentanyl remains a major contributor to overdose fatalities statewide.
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Brenda H.
BA Psych, Grad. Cert. Addictions & Mental Health
Driven by a deep personal connection to these topics, I created AMH Resources to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and everyday support. I watch, read, and summarize a wide range of free resources to help you navigate the overwhelming amount of information available and find what resonates with your journey.