What causes opioid addiction, and why is it so tough to combat?
Explore the science of why opioids are addictive and what can be done to reverse the growing rates of addiction and overdose.
CREDITS
Educator: Mike Davis
Narrator: Addison Anderson
Director of Production: Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Producer: Alex Rosenthal
Producer: Bethany Cutmore-Scott
Associate Editorial Producer: Elizabeth Cox
Script Editor: Emma Bryce
Fact-checker: Eden Girma
Director: Kunal Sen, Tisha Deb Pillai
Art Director: Kunal Sen
Storyboard Artist: Tisha Deb Pillai
Music: Landon Trimble / Playdate
In the 1980s and 90s, pharmaceutical companies began to market opioid painkillers aggressively, while actively downplaying their addictive potential. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed, and so did cases of addiction, beginning a crisis that continues today.
What makes opioids so addictive? Mike Davis explains what we can do to reverse the skyrocketing rates of addiction and overdose.