Overdose is now the leading cause of death for people under 50 in the United States, and Indiana’s overdose death rate is the 13th highest in the nation. Addiction has long been misunderstood as a moral failing. But scientists have now shown that it is, in fact, a neurological disorder. More than 90% of addictions begin before age 21, when the brain is still developing.

Butler University, Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, and Community Health Network have teamed up to bring David Sheff to Clowes Memorial Hall for an evening of discussion about ways to help address this acute health crisis. Additional support has been provided by WFYI Indianapolis and Dr. Lynne Zydowsky. The event will be immediately followed by a book signing.

David Sheff is the author of Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy, the follow-up to his New York Times #1 best seller, Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction. Clean is the result of the years Sheff spent investigating the disease of addiction and America’s drug problem, which he sees as the greatest public health challenge of our time. He and his son Nic Sheff are the co-authors of High: Everything You Want to Know About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction, published in January 2019.

David Sheff has been named to the Time 100, Time Magazine’s list of the World’s Most Influential People. He has received a Special Tribute Award from The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and Media Awards from the College of Problems on Drug Dependence, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Sheff’s Beautiful Boy has been made into a critically-acclaimed film starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. Sheff also contributed to HBO’s Addiction: Why Can’t They Just Stop.

Sheff serves on the advisory boards of The Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program “designed to help colleges and universities promote emotional well-being and mental health programming, reduce substance abuse and prevent suicide among their students,” and the International Bipolar Foundation.

He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and lives with his family in Northern California.

Additional Resources

Community Health Network Mental/Behavioral Health Services https://www.ecommunity.com/services/mental-behavioral-health

Community Health’s 24-hour crisis line: phone screenings and/or face-to-face evaluations for psychiatric emergencies. Please call 800-273-8255 or 317-621-5700 for referral.

Community Health’s text-for-help hotline: Text IN to 741741 Having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis? This hotline instantly connects young people with a trained mental health responder. The service is a vital piece of Community’s Zero Suicide Initiative.

Butler University Counseling and Consultation Services (available to all currently enrolled Butler students) https://www.butler.edu/counseling-services

Report: The Changing Landscape of the Opioid Epidemic in Marion County and Evidence for Action Prepared by the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI  https://www.rmff.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Richard-M.-Fairbanks-Opioid-Report-October-2018.pdf

Nova Documentary: “Addiction” www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/addiction

Related PBS/NOVA Resources

NOVA Videos www.facebook.com/NOVApbs

Fighting the Opioid Epidemic with Harm Reduction Strategies https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nva-sci-treatment/fighting-the-opioid-epidemic-with-harm-reduction-strategies-addiction/

Why Recovering from Opioid Addiction Is So Difficult https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nva-sci-recovery/why-recovering-from-opioid-addiction-is-so-difficult-addiction/

Restoring Hope: Fighting the Opioid Crisis in Buffalo: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/restoring-hope-fighting-opioid-crisis-buffalo/

When Addiction Starts at the Dentist | NOVA Next: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/when-addiction-starts-dentist/

Addiction Treatment Forum www.atforum.com

American Society of Addiction Medicine www.asam.org

National Institute on Drug Abuse www.drugabuse.gov

CDC: Opioid Overdose www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose

Center on Addiction www.centeronaddiction.org

CMC: Foundation for Change www.cmcffc.org

CO*RE: Collaborative for REMS Education www.core-rems.org

The JED Foundation www.jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence www.ncadd.org

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids www.drugfree.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration www.samhsa.gov

Young People in Recovery http://youngpeopleinrecovery.org/find-a-chapter