Thursday on Political Rewind: A story of addiction and recovery.

William Cope Moyers is the son of journalist and presidential advisor Bill Moyers, and has memories from childhood of Air Force One and the White House. In the early '90s, Moyers followed his father’s path into a promising career at CNN in Atlanta.

However, his life began to spiral out of control thanks to a substance addiction to alcohol, crack cocaine and more. In recounting his struggles, Moyer says he hit rock bottom in downtown Atlanta 25 years ago.

But Moyers has sought to help others struggling with addiction by telling the story of his road to recovery over the decades. His candid discussion of substance abuse disorder spurred frank dialogue on the stigmatized topic of addiction.

Addiction and recovery has been changed by the pandemic. Changes to day-to-day life since the onset of COVID-19 are exacerbating America's addiction problems, Moyer's said.

"As we know, too often, people die when they can't get help," Moyers said. "And in the midst of this pandemic, people have been isolated. People have been under stress."

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week show a surge in deaths from overdoses in the past year — 100,000 Americans.

In Georgia, more than 1,900 people died of drug-related causes in 2020, according to CDC data released in August. That is a 38.8% increase over data from the previous year.

Panelist:

William Cope Moyers – Vice President of Public Affairs and Community Relations with Hazelden Betty Ford

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, the following resources are available to help.

24/7 treatment referral and information can be found through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-4357 or SAMHSA.gov. Resources in Georgia are available through The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.