What role does storytelling have in addressing the opioid crisis? In March, Vermont Public Radio hosted a gathering at the Turning Point Center of Burlington to talk through that question with the team behind My Heart Still Beats .

"When you have anxiety, or chronic depression, your mind is constantly going. And I tried opiates and realized that my brain was just quiet for a little bit."

"When you're told over and over, 'Your child's a problem child — he's bad, he's bad, he's bad, he's bad!' ... You believe your kid's bad."

"There were three things you could be good at: fighting, drinking or sports. So, I stink at sports. I can't fight. But I guess I can drink."

"You’re right, I probably do deserve to be in jail the rest of my life. Or, I do deserve to give my life for hers. But since I can’t, let’s save somebody else’s life."

"I think in the past, people would say, 'Look. People don’t want to talk about this.' ... And the truth is, people want to talk about this stuff, if you give them the right forum."

"We're not alone. People who have this addiction, and people who love people who have this addiction — we're not alone."

A six-part series from Writers for Recovery and Vermont Public Radio, featuring voices from Vermont's recovery community. Coming February 25.