In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

Actress Hayden Panettiere's death was due to an unintentional overdose involving illicit fentanyl, according to the coroner's report released last week. Most likely, the death of Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber last week was as well. These two celebrities, famous, with plenty of money, were not able to avoid addiction, because addiction doesn't care who you are. Gerber, who shared his stories of mental and addiction problems openly, was in a rehab facility — the last of many he entered — when he overdosed. In fact, it was his first night there. We can share sorrow and compassion for the families of these young people. But that sorrow and compassion have to be there for everyone, not just the famous people — even if the famous ones are those who finally make the nation wake up about the need for treatment. Unlike other addictions, opioid addiction has proven treatments: methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Why aren't these used more? The pages of ADAW are full of articles about stigma, insurance barriers and funding problems. Meanwhile, reports that Panettiere “secretly” entered a treatment program just before she died raise more questions than answers about how this country views addiction. Programs that combine residential treatment with buprenorphine have proven successful. Why aren't there more of these programs? So many questions, but so few answers.