Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic in Around the World in 80 Books

May 05, 2016 Beverly rated it really liked it

Shelves: united-states, non-fiction, audio, newtome2016

Enlightening, informative, harrowing, and disturbing are the words that came to mind when I finished this book.
While this book can be repetitive in sections, it does tell a story we should all be aware of.
There are just so many moving pieces in the complex drug addiction scenario that I shook my head in wondering how do we approach this issue that affect so many more people and towns beyond the well-known urban areas.

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May 17, 2018 Sera rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, parenting, own, kindle

This book provides an informed perspective on how American became a country of opiate addicts. Quinones explains how the perfect storm hit certain elements of rural and suburban America at the same time. What started out as a systematic campaign by a drug manufacturer which had falsely claimed that OxyCotin was not addictive (while at the same time making the case that pain was the 5th vital sign of health care) led to physicians oversubscribing the use of this medication. This result was also f This book provides an informed perspective on how American became a country of opiate addicts. Quinones explains how the perfect storm hit certain elements of rural and suburban America at the same time. What started out as a systematic campaign by a drug manufacturer which had falsely claimed that OxyCotin was not addictive (while at the same time making the case that pain was the 5th vital sign of health care) led to physicians oversubscribing the use of this medication. This result was also fueled by the insurance companies' refusal to pay for the holistic care of a patient and their willingness instead, to pay primary care physicians per visit, thereby incentivizing them to see as many patients as possible per day. These doctors failed to assess whether a patient's pain was getting better, what the cause of the pain might be, etc. They had not been properly trained to do this in medical school, and since they were operating under the belief that the OxyCotin was not addictive, they continued to increase the dosage amounts of this drug for their patients. Some doctors went so far as to create pill mills in certain towns, such as Columbus, Portland and Charlotte, where for cash they would dispense huge quantities of the medications to local residents. These doctors made millions of dollars off of these people and created communities filled with addicts.

At the same time, a group of Mexicans came up with a way in which to make black tar heroin. They also created a business model where they would deliver or meet their clients and provide superior customer service, such as giving away free product in exchange for these buyers finding new ones. They were clean cut, non-violent and easy to replace once caught. As the OxyCotin ran out of money to buy pills, they turned to black tar heroin as a replacement. It was just as effective, cheaper and easier to get than OxyCotin. And then people started dying....

Quinones describes how once it was white kids who were dying (instead of blacks who had previously faced a similar situation when using crack cocaine) state legislators and local health officials started to focus on recovery instead of incarceration. He ends the book with the hope that the country can work its way through this epidemic.

I only gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because it is written in a disjointed way. I understand the complexity of all of the variables that come into play when it comes to this issue but it would have been an outstanding book if the narrative moved along at a smoother pace. Irrespective of this flaw, I still highly recommend this book. ...more

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Mar 22, 2018 Andy Plonka rated it it was amazing

Shelves: src

This book both confirms things that I had come to believe were to be scrutinized carefully and scared me to death. Prescription drugs should be taken only after one knows the potential for adverse effects and that doctors, even those that have your best interests at heart, may not understand that drug's effect on your specific condition and may be harmful rather than ineffective or detrimental to your health. Drugs are no longer made to inprove human health but to make money for their manufactur ...more

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Feb 15, 2019 Katie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: male-author, non-fiction, book-club, social-issues

This book was well written and informative and covered many aspects of the opiate epidemic. It was hard to read at times and it really made me hate big pharma.

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