7 Days: The Opioid Crisis in Arkansas

7 Days: The Opioid Crisis in Arkansas shares the stories of individuals and families whose lives have been shaped by addiction, overdose, and recovery. Through firsthand accounts and expert perspectives, the documentary explores the realities of opioid use disorder and the devastating impact the opioid crisis in Arkansas has had on people and communities across the state.

The film also examines how prescription opioids contributed to the crisis and the subsequent rise of heroin and fentanyl, while highlighting overdose, treatment, recovery, and community efforts to support those affected. Alongside stories of loss are those of survival and recovery, offering a deeply personal look at the people behind the crisis.

7 Days was a 2022 nominee at the 46th Annual Mid-America Emmy® Awards in the categories of Documentary – Cultural and Director – Short Form or Long Form Content.

The Opioid Crisis in Arkansas

The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership is using opioid settlement funds to support community-based responses to the crisis. Through its Community Advocate Network (CAN), the initiative connects communities across Arkansas with harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and recovery resources while building partnerships between local organizations, healthcare providers, first responders, schools, and other community groups.

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"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 a 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."

"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.”