HookedRx: From Prescription to Addiction

HookedRx: From Prescription to Addiction takes a close, compassionate look at Arizona’s opioid crisis by sharing the stories of the people who confront it every day. The documentary features frontline workers who respond to overdoses, policymakers working to repair gaps in a strained system, and counsellors helping individuals piece their lives back together. It also includes powerful voices from parents who have lost children and those who have made it to the other side of recovery, offering a full picture of both the heartbreak and the hope within this crisis.

HookedRx traces how addiction often begins with a prescription that seems harmless at first, only to escalate into dependence and, for many, devastating consequences. It sheds light on how easily these pills can be obtained and uncovers troubling stories about medical professionals who misused their prescribing power. Through honest storytelling and firsthand accounts, HookedRx reveals how the crisis took hold in Arizona and why change—both systemic and community-led—is urgently needed.

Articles for HookedRx:

"Being sober and staying sober wouldn’t be such an amazing celebration if we didn’t realize that the other alternative is death."

"Once you’ve tried your drug of choice, you try and catch the same high you got the first time, but you never do. So, I took 26 percocet’s in two hours, so I OD’d. But I didn’t actually go to the hospital over it, which was kind of weird. I never really sought medical attention because I didn’t want to get red-flagged and not be able to get the pills, to be honest. It’s not a fun feeling to know that you’re going to die over a drug, something that you could have prevented."

"The pill bottle says 1-2 every 4-6 hours, so I’m going to take 2 every 4. I’m going to push those limits because I like the way that it makes me feel. It doesn’t just take away the pain, it makes your whole life seem like it’s amazing."

"It is no longer an inner city versus suburban problem – it’s everybody’s problem. I’ve worked in multiple different emergency departments from inner city to suburban to rural and everyone has this problem. It does not discriminate against gender, age, income. This has hit everyone."

"There’s no difference in what I was doing that the people on the street do with their heroin every day. They go to somebody on the street corner with dope and I was going to my doctor, and he was writing me the prescriptions."

"This is a horrific disease that needs to be treated, can be treated. Recovery does happen. And so, I want there to be some hope. And I think in the long run if you’re able to survive it, you come out a stronger, more compassionate person."