State nonprofit premiers opioid addiction series
Opioid addiction in Oklahoma has reached a crisis level, says a nonprofit dedicated to fighting addiction.
Deaths have quadrupled in Oklahoma in the last 12 years from oxycodone and hydrocodone, and in the last three years, the state has seen 2,684 reported opioid-related deaths. In an effort to educate the general public on substance abuse and addiction in Oklahoma, Fighting Addiction Through Education (FATE) has released “Killing Pain,” a seven-part documentary film series that tells the story of the opioid addiction epidemic sweeping the state and nation.
“This is a crisis that’s affecting our entire country and impacting every industry, every sector, every social class and every state. We have seen prescription rates and opioid overdoses skyrocket, especially in Oklahoma,” said Reggie Whitten, FATE founder, in a news release. “This series is amplifying the conversation and awareness about the gravity of opioid addiction. To put it in context, more than 300,000 Americans have died from an opioidrelated overdose, which is more than six times the number of American casualties in the entire Vietnam War.”
Free to everyone, all seven episodes of “Killing Pain” are available online at www.killingpain.com, which is released days before International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. Each episode provides a story shedding light on the epidemic, including the faces of addiction, the biology of addiction, how the country and state reached crisis level, the cost and treatment of addiction and a look into the future of opioid addiction.
Oklahoma is at the top of the list for the number of people being prescribed opioids, and has had the highest percentage of individuals 12 and older who used medications for nonmedical reasons.
“We created this documentary series to create a sense of urgency for the crisis happening right here in our state, and to show that there are actions we can take to prevent the spread of this crisis,” Whitten said. “We bring experts from inside Oklahoma as well as nationally to discuss the issue with the hope of motivating solutions both for individuals and the state.”
“Killing Pain” features a number of expert voices, including U.S. Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and Dr. Jason Beaman, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Oklahoma State University, among many others.
The “Killing Pain” documentary series was created by Lampstand Story Co. and FATE.