How Americans Fell Prey to Dealers, Doctors and a Drug Company

From the introduction of OxyContin in 1996 to the pharmaceutical industry that pushed highly-addictive drugs, Macy takes readers through the harrowing trajectory of the most critical drug epidemic in recent history. Macy’s is only book to fully chart the opioid crisis in America. In it, she returns to some of the same distressed communities seen in her bestselling book Factory Man—small towns in Central Appalachia as well as formerly idyllic farm towns. Dopesick charts more unassuming territory, too: the seemingly normal, upper echelons, where privileged teenagers trade pills in suburban cul-de-sacs and medical professionals routinely reap the incentives of over-prescribing painkillers.  

Though Macy never shies from these bleak realities, her message is nevertheless hopeful. These portraits reveal the spirit and tenacity of those facing addiction, and their resolve to build a better future for themselves and their families.  

Beth is the New York Times bestselling author of Factory Man and Truevine.