When Megan Bohman learned that her neighbors and friends in Brigham City were dying from opioid misuse and abuse she decided as a health education specialists for the Bear River Health Department that something needed to be done. So she applied for a grant and went to work.

“People who have an addiction will tell you, you have to find other things that give your life meaning and value,” said Doug Thomas, director of Utah's Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health in the Department of Human Services. “Some people find it in family, some people find it in exercise, the outdoors. A lot of people in recovery are some of the most amazing people because they are giving back to help other people get into recovery, donating their time and resources and energy to help

It’s a cold, November morning and I’m outside a free detox center in South Salt Lake. It stands out because it’s a modern-looking building in an industrial part of town. Two tired-looking men are pacing under a heater just outside the center’s doors waiting for a woman to call their names so they can begin detoxing from either alcohol or drugs.

"Had my son. C-section. I was given a prescription for pain pills. They did the trick. They helped with the physical pain, as well as the emotional pain because everything is better when you take opioids. Or so it seems."

John Clark Jr. traces the start of his battle with opioid addiction back to when he was 23 and working at a group home for persons with cognitive disabilities.

Drug courts are specialty courts designed to divert individuals from the prison system and into treatment for their addiction. Studies have found they reduce recidivism rates and connect individuals with substance abuse issues to treatment.

LeAnn Williams was married for 31 years. She just lost her husband this past February to an overdose of Oxycodone. LeAnn gently turned through each page of a scrapbook. In her quiet way, she showed me pictures of falling in love with her college sweetheart, winters spent building snow caves in their yard, and growing a family with three beautiful children in Heber City, Utah.

Pain is complex. It's hard to quantify. Pain can be acute or long-lasting. And it changes over time. That can make pain difficult to treat. Opioids play an important role in medicine. They can provide relief to cancer patients whose pain can be excruciating. Opioids can deliver a reprieve for chronic pain patients whose daily lives are often consumed by pain. But this is where their role gets a little murky.

Woodi Reed has been in chronic back pain for the last seven years. In her search for some relief, she has participated in pain clinics to treat her spinal stenosis at the Veterans Administration in Salt Lake City. There she has undergone hypnosis, nerve ablations and been prescribed opioids to help manage her pain. Despite the treatments, the pain has persisted.

Exploring the impacts of opioid use on individuals, families, friends and communities in Utah led Utah Public Radio to the Uintah Basin. In Vernal, the boom and bust of demands for oil has left many residents without work. We wondered if unemployment, job injuries, and a depressed economy had led to an increase in opioid abuse.