How the System Fails People with Addiction
About this episode
Patricia Roos discusses the systemic failures in addressing addiction following the loss of her son to a heroin overdose.
Patricia Roos was a sociology professor at Rutgers University when she lost her 25-year-old son, Alex, to a heroin overdose. In the aftermath of that loss, she redirected her life’s work by examining the systemic forces that fuel addiction and the shortcomings of how the nation responds to the overdose crisis, particularly the heavy reliance on the criminal justice system. Her new book, Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, weaves together her personal story and profe...
People in this episode
Guest: Patricia Roos
Topics covered
- addiction
- overdose crisis
- criminal justice system
- systemic forces
- personal story
Keywords
- heroin overdose
- Surviving Alex
- sociology
- loss
- mother's story
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction
Books & works: Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction
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- The Wounds Beneath the Addiction: One Treatment Center's Deeper Approach to Recovery
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