Show Notes
Stephen Murray wants to change how we view drug users. After overcoming his own substance use disorder in his early 20s, he went on to save countless lives from overdose as a paramedic. He's now the founder and Executive Director of SafeSpot, the only government-funded overdose prevention hotline in the United States. In this episode, Stephen joins Stephanie to walk through the moments that transformed how he sees recovery and what it actually takes to save more lives.
Order Steph’s book Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis at https://bit.ly/LastDayBook, and the audiobook at https://bit.ly/3RW4WtF, or wherever books and audiobooks are sold.
LAST DAY BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE
Please join Steph on the road and RSVP at the links below!
📍 Houston, TX Thursday, September 17th, 7:00 PM at Blue Willow Bookshop. Reserve your spot →
📍 Summerland, CA Friday, September 25th at Godmother's Books, in conversation with Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. Reserve your spot →
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More from Last Day
Stephanie Wittels Wachs is the CEO and cofounder of Lemonada Media, host of Last Day, and author of Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis. Her younger brother, Harris Wittels - the beloved writer and comedian known for Parks and Recreation and Master of None - died of an opioid overdose in 2015 at 30.
Stephanie Wittels Wachs and her younger brother Harris were best friends. So when he confided that he was struggling with opioid addiction, Steph believed they’d find a way through it together, like they always had. But Harris didn’t survive his addiction.
Most friendships start because you have something in common: work, hobbies, fashion, books, sense of humor. But not all friendships are formed because of something wholesome in common. Sometimes, you share an experience so life-changing that you are drawn to each other. That is how, nine years ago, Nora and Steph Wittels Wachs became friends. Steph lost her brother, Harris, to an opioid overdose. Grievers can always find common ground: losing someone changes you.
How do we create smart drug education that actually makes an impact on the next generation? After losing their son Charlie to an accidental fentanyl overdose, Ed and Mary Ternan created Song for Charlie to educate young people and their parents about the risks of counterfeit prescription pills and other drugs. In this episode, Stephanie talks to Ed and Marcia Lee Taylor, strategy advisor for the organization, about Charlie's last day and how to have honest conversations with kids about drugs.
What role does connection play in helping us survive life's hardest moments? In this episode, Stephanie talks to Allison Gilbert, a journalist, speaker, and the creator of More Connected, a first-of-its-kind app helping people build deeper belonging and togetherness IRL. Together, they explore what’s behind the loneliness epidemic, how we can embrace the messiness of human connections, and why closeness is an upstream intervention for addiction.