New York Times – January 28, 2016
To the Editor:
Your compelling article “Drug Overdoses Propel Rise in Mortality Rates of Whites” (front page, Jan. 17) ends with this quote: “There are people whose lives are so hard they break.” But we know that lives don’t break overnight. Most people with substance use disorders started using alcohol or other drugs before the age of 18, when the brain is still developing and teenagers are vulnerable.