Writing, next to action, is the most powerful thing you can do to bring life to your thoughts. When you put pen to paper or strike the keys and watch the words fill the screen you are breathing life into your ideas.

OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride) is a long-acting opiate prescribed for moderate to severe pain when pain relief is needed for an extended time. There is a risk of drug interactions, overdoses, and dependency when taking this medication.

Joe was in his early 20s when he first took prescription opioids. He got in a serious car accident, landing him in the hospital, where doctors prescribed him OxyContin and morphine. His injuries took some time to heal, but his addiction to the pills stayed with him for years to come.

Chris first experimented with prescription opioids as a teen, when he discovered a bottle of pills in his mom’s medicine cabinet. He continued to experiment and use throughout his teens. So years later, when Chris got hurt on the job while working as a plumber’s apprentice, his doctor wrote him a prescription for opioids—the drug he had experimented with as a teen.

When Amy was 14, a knee injury on the soccer field put her in the hospital and resulted in a prescription for Vicodin. Over the next five years, she endured several surgeries on that knee and received a flood of opioid prescriptions.

Your addiction can be mild, moderate or severe. No matter your diagnosis, getting treatment is important for recovery.

Watching a friend struggle with a drug addiction can be overwhelming and heartbreaking. You want to help, but you’re not sure how to. Different scenarios of how to approach your friend’s drug addiction may run through your mind: what if you say the wrong thing? Is it the right time to say something? What if it ruins your friendship?