More than 100,000 people die every year from fatal drug overdoses. This horrifying statistic – the highest total ever – traced to fentanyl, led to the worst narcotics crisis in U.S. history.

As a substance abuse therapist, the tendency is to think about fentanyl as some kind of supernatural force which created an epidemic of personal misfortunes. The toxicity of this drug is as legendary as its path of destruction. The cost for those of us in the practice to become numb to the statistics and shrug them off as failures is just too high.

These are not just statistics – they are our clients. And their pain is real.