Last fall, Beth Anderson had hope that her daughter, Olivia Sucher, could break the grip of addiction. Olivia had the love and support of family and friends on her side.

April 2, 2016 changed all that.

With a phone call early that morning, the BlueCross employee learned that an overdose had claimed the life of her beloved daughter.

“She loved her family, and she was a good daughter, sister and friend to so many,” Beth said. “We tried so hard to help her.”

Beth’s family is one of thousands in Tennessee who’ve experienced the profound impact of abusing prescription painkillers known as opioids. It’s a concern nationwide, but it’s a crisis in Tennessee where deaths from opioid abuse jumped to 1,263 in 2014. Here 143 prescriptions are written for every 100 residents, making it second in the nation for opioid prescribing.

Read the full story on The Commercial Appeal.