This documentary examines Afghanistan's addiction crisis and the challenges people seeking recovery face inside a former U.S. military base that was converted into a large drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul. Independent reporter Akshay documents severe shortages of medication, staff, and resources while speaking with patients and those working to support them. The film also follows Babrak, a former mujahideen fighter and recovering addict, while exploring how decades of war, poverty, unemployment, and drug availability have shaped substance use and treatment in Afghanistan.
TOPICS: Afghanistan, Heroin, Homelessness, Opioids, Poverty, Prevention & Treatment, Public Health
Across Arkansas, individuals and families share deeply personal experiences of opioid addiction, overdose, loss, and recovery. Their stories reveal how prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl have shaped the state's opioid crisis, while experts explain how dependence and opioid use disorder can develop and why the drug supply has become increasingly dangerous. Alongside accounts of repeated overdose and lives lost are stories of survival and recovery, highlighting the work of healthcare professionals, advocates, families, and communities responding to the crisis and supporting people as they rebuild their lives.
Brady began drinking as a teenager before alcohol became part of a growing cycle of cocaine, prescription pills, benzodiazepines, and eventually heroin addiction. He describes using different substances to control how he felt, the hopelessness and isolation that followed, and serious health consequences that still were not enough to make him stop. After treatment and relapse, Brady began to approach recovery differently. His story explores the progression of addiction and the difficult process of rebuilding a life through treatment, meaningful relationships, community support, and a commitment to making recovery his priority.
After years of reporting on addiction and the opioid crisis, journalist Angela Kennecke experienced the crisis personally when her 21-year-old daughter, Emily, died from fentanyl poisoning. She shares her family’s story while continuing to investigate the issues affecting other families across South Dakota. Through personal stories and expert perspectives, the special explores fentanyl, overdose, stigma, Good Samaritan laws, drug courts, medication-assisted treatment, and recovery. It also follows Kennecke as she turns the loss of her daughter into advocacy through Emily’s Hope, an organization dedicated to prevention, awareness, and recovery.
Personal stories of prescription opioid and heroin addiction reveal how quickly substance use can take over a person’s life and affect everyone around them. Individuals and families share experiences of withdrawal, relapse, overdose, grief, and recovery, while professionals discuss the progression of opioid addiction and the risks facing young people. Several stories trace the transition from prescription painkillers to heroin, showing how tolerance, dependence, cost, and the pursuit of a stronger high can lead people down increasingly dangerous paths.
Real stories of heroin addiction, overdose, grief, and recovery reveal the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on individuals and families. Parents who have lost children share their experiences alongside people in recovery and professionals working in addiction treatment. Their stories explore the powerful effects of prescription opioids, the progression from painkillers to heroin, and the realities of treatment and long-term recovery. At the center is a mother who turned the loss of her son into an effort to raise awareness and help prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
Arizona's opioid epidemic is explored through the experiences of people whose addiction began with legally prescribed painkillers. The film follows patients, families, healthcare professionals, and individuals in recovery as they examine how routine injuries, overprescribing, and growing opioid tolerance contributed to a public health crisis. It also highlights the unique risks facing young people, the transition from prescription opioids to heroin, and the efforts of communities, universities, and treatment providers to intervene early and support lasting recovery.
This documentary explores the opioid crisis in Western Pennsylvania through the voices of people whose lives have been shaped by heroin addiction. Featuring individuals in recovery, grieving families, healthcare professionals, and community advocates, the documentary examines how prescription opioids, stigma, and untreated addiction contributed to a growing public health crisis. Alongside stories of loss, it highlights the people and organizations working to expand treatment, support families, and reduce overdose deaths, offering a message that recovery and hope remain possible.
Michael DeLeon's first documentary explores how the opioid crisis is affecting children, teenagers, and families across the United States. Through interviews with grieving parents, healthcare professionals, educators, and people in recovery, it examines the progression from prescription drug misuse to heroin addiction while highlighting the devastating impact of overdose, trauma, and loss. The documentary also emphasizes prevention, early intervention, and the importance of educating young people before experimentation turns into lifelong addiction.
Stephen's Story follows one family's journey through grief after losing Stephen to an opioid overdose in 2018. Through heartfelt interviews, they reflect on the trauma, mental health struggles, family history, and addiction that shaped his life while raising awareness about the opioid crisis. More than a tribute, the documentary encourages open conversations about substance use, challenges stigma, and offers hope to families facing similar experiences.
