Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, has created a large population of what Jo calls “zombies” — folks who did not even know, at first, they were taking the drug yet quickly became addicted to the point of incapacitation. Or death.

The misery of withdrawal: It’s what fuels opioid addiction and what scares folks about taking Suboxone, the medication proven to dramatically increase the odds of recovery.

For anyone whose life has been devastated by opioid addiction, Suboxone is surely closer to a miracle — even if, like most patients, you need to take it for years, perhaps forever.

In recent years, patients seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) have had another option: Suboxone (buprenorphine), an approved medication that for many patients has advantages over methadone.

In reality, without medication fewer than 5% of people with OUD can recover, and virtually all patients will relapse within 30 days of leaving inpatient rehab or jail. Because of the unique way that opioids rewire the brain, many relapse on their first day out. Some overdose and die.