According to a recent study, the opioid crisis will cost the U.S. economy between $171 billion and $214 billion this year alone. More important is the devastating human cost of this epidemic: Last year, 354 of our friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers in Maine lost their lives to drug overdoses—an average of nearly one for every day of the year.

Given the scale of this crisis, we need to do much more to make our communities “recovery-ready,” creating a continuum of support for people seeking recovery, people in recovery, and their allies. First and foremost, we need to come together as communities and confront the stigma associated with substance use disorder. Rather than treating addiction as a moral failure or weakness—which can prevent people from seeking treatment—we must recognize it as a chronic illness that has an impact on every one of us.

Through the end of this year, we’re inviting Mainers to a series of free film screenings of Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s “Recovery Boys” and “Heroin(e)”—two award-winning documentaries on the opioid crisis—and encouraging them to participate in community forums about the issue. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion with local health care providers, social workers, law enforcement officers, and people in recovery.

From Kittery to Calais and Caribou, these events will reach every corner of the state, raising awareness about the local impacts of the epidemic and the resources we need to address it.

Sean Flynn

program director for the Points North Institute

Lincolnville