Death of mild-mannered young lobsterman shows ‘it can get to anybody, this heroin’

The father of Sam Stevens lets his son's addiction go public, signaling that an insidious threat lurks within the Machias community.

Many in Stonington, Maine’s lobstering capital, keep quiet about drug problem

But a few people – worried about heroin's impact on the local economy, the fishery and the addicts themselves – believe it's time to speak out.

Lives lost: A cook, a football champion, a blind skier, a marketing professional

Community in crisis: Battle against opioids rages in beaten-down Sanford

Its economic strife and its proximity to the Massachusetts drug trade put the York County city in the cross hairs of the crisis. But forces within Sanford are stepping up and fighting back.

Lives lost: An Air Force veteran, a carpenter, a rapper, a medical marijuana grower

Fragile recovery: Shannon Long’s story illustrates how difficult sobriety can be

The up-and-down journey, marked by the ever-present risk and reality of relapse, means opioid addicts who want to quit – like this 24-year-old mother from western Maine – face a grueling, sometimes lifelong battle.

Lives lost: A natural musician, a volunteer, a landscaper, a ‘Chucky’ fan

Treatment dilemma: No consensus on cure as demand for it explodes

In addition to woefully inadequate treatment resources to meet exploding demand in Maine, there is tension, too, among providers and policymakers over the best way to beat an opioid addiction.

When kids lose a parent to addiction, tell the truth

The rising death toll means more children than ever are confronted by unthinkable loss. When the questions come, experts say, keep it simple and be honest.

The children left behind: As one generation dies, the next one’s in trouble

When children lose parents, the onus falls upon other resources – aging grandparents and the state’s child welfare system – to care for the youngest victims of Maine’s heroin crisis.