Opioid addiction’s devastating financial shock waves

Overdoses are still surging in parts of the United States. The toll to the addicts themselves seems obvious, but the burden is no lighter for the families trying to save them, especially when scarce rehab beds cost $50,000 a month. The total estimated economic burden from the drug epidemic is enormous: Health care research firm Altarum put the figure at $1 trillion since 2001. [NPR] Little Brown and Company 'Anything seemed possible,' recounts a memoirist of her pregnancy and new motherhood — 'any horrible thing' Writing against the persistent tropes of motherhood, Meaghan O'Connell punctures the glowing, cherish-this-it-goes-fast mystique around carrying, birthing and raising a newborn. In a publishing industry that seeks accounts of the superhuman, And Now We Have Everything renders a common experience in stark, horrifying, extraordinary light, writes critic Annalisa Quinn. ["What if, instead of worrying about scaring women, we told them the truth?" O'Connell asks](. Seth Herald for NPR When a loved one has an opioid addiction, a family’s losses can be exponential NPR returns to the stories of two recovering addicts in Indiana to find one dead and the other in a coma. Their families face not just the loss of a child, but also towering piles of bills — from court, from rehab that didn’t stick, from EMS and hospitals. Katy Sexton’s parents say that with her death, they’ve lost joy, hope, future grandchildren — and their savings and pension. ["Last time I got a collection call from rehab saying, 'We still need this much money,' I didn't send them a check; I sent them a death certificate."]( Courtesy of Essence Goldman 'Bernie is the eternal optimist' — so even though he can’t speak anymore, let alone sing, he is competing to play the Tiny Desk Bernie Dalton had always wanted to record an album and had just started vocal lessons when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Lou Gehrig's disease. As the ailment robbed him of his physical capabilities and voice, he asked his coach to help him write and record songs, and got a band together. [“He is laying in a bed. He can only move his eyes. And he's planning his next move," his teacher says](. Channi Anand/AP The 8-year-old girl’s only offense was being a Muslim in an area that wanted them out. Her gang rape and murder have sparked uproar One local police officer has been charged with involvement in the crime and three others with trying to sabotage the investigation. Politicians were silent over the brutal slaying, and some locals and officials rallied for the accused. India’s prime minister has promised that "no culprit will be spared, complete justice will be done." [For many citizens, the case was another painful reminder of how prevalent sexual violence remains across the country, despite recent efforts](. NPR Carl Kasell was a news institution. He started a second career and became a humor icon. The 'Wait Wait...' mainstay died this week at 84 Host Peter Sagal remembers his resonant-voiced friend and colleague as a funnyman waiting to happen, despite his serious journalistic cred. "He was a born broadcaster, who loved his audience just as much as they loved him," he writes. And that came through in their interactions. ["Wherever he went, Carl told me with some delight, people would recognize him. And upon request, he'd say their name."]( You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]