Cook County Sheriff's Podcast Aims To Help Opioid Addiction

COOK COUNTY, IL — The Cook County Sheriff's Office is battling the region's opioid crisis with a podcast aimed at people who know or love someone with an opioid addiction. The podcast features specialists and researchers who explain the science behind addiction and offer ways to cope with the stress and trauma of living with someone who uses opioids.

According to the sheriff's office, opioid-related overdoses kill more people in Cook County than car crashes or gun violence. More than 1,000 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in the county in 2017, up 90 percent from 2015, county officials reported. And about one in five detainees in the county jail admit to opioid abuse.

The podcast, called Breaking Free, is one of many ways the county is trying to mitigate the problem, officials said. The newest episodes feature typical questions people in these situations have: Why don’t they stop using? How do I get them to accept treatment? Am I an enabler? When should I walk away? Experts include Christopher Holden, director of addiction services at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System; Jonathan Adelstein, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with Northwestern Medicine; Nicole Gastala, a clinical physician and researcher; and Philip Maes, a certified addiction specialist at the University of Illinois Mile Square Health Center.

In past episodes, Breaking Free interviewed women in drug treatment at the Cook County jail and interviewed a man after he received treatment when he was discovered unresponsive on the floor of the Skokie courthouse bathroom.

The podcast is free and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music and SoundCloud.

Images and media via Cook County Sheriff's Office and Shutterstock