In Tennessee, more people died from opioid overdoses than in car accidents or by gunshots in 2014. For every one person who dies nationally, there are 851 people in various stages of misuse, abuse and treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The abuse epidemic, as The Tennessean reported earlier this year, is the state’s No. 1 public health crisis. But addiction comes in many forms, with many substances. It affects many people — your co-worker, your friend, the family down the street. It seizes celebrities, high-level executives, and infants, defenseless children without a choice. It may impact you. We want to share these stories, hellish and heartbreaking as some may be, with the intent of delivering hope. At every rock bottom, there is opportunity for recovery. Our next Nashville Storytellers event, “Through hell and back,” will focus on our storytellers’ personal anecdotes about addiction and recovery.

Read the full article on The Tennessean.