After the overdose: A family’s journey into grief and guilt

LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Twenty years into America’s opioid epidemic, the crisis has claimed more than 400,000 lives. Each of those lost leaves behind a family now grappling with grief and shame, relief and regret. But they suffer in solitude as the country continues struggling to contain the worst drug crisis in its history.

Little is known about the long-term psychological implications for the many families who have buried loved ones. Grassroots organizations to help them are sporadic, funded mostly by bake sales and 5k races and spread out in pockets of the country at random.

The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids last year tried to drum up support on Capitol Hill for $10 million to establish a support program so parents wouldn’t have to navigate the misery alone. But it got no traction.