Inside The Epidemic

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The opioid epidemic in western New York is killing residents at a rapid rate. News 4’s Jenn Schanz, Luke Moretti, Dave Greber and Nalina Shapiro took a deeper look into the widespread issue plaguing the local area.

Inside The Epidemic

(Law enforcement officials discussed what it will take to combat the opioid crisis in Inside The Epidemic)

(Opioids can fool the brain into thinking drugs are necessary for survival like food & water )

(DEA: Most of the heroin that ends up in WNY moves up from the nation's southwest border)

(A former Ithaca needle dump is slowly getting cleaned up)

Watch the full special “Inside The Epidemic,” in the video above and learn where you can get treatment below.

Resources for help with opioid addiction

NO QUICK FIX | A high school sports injury led to Ben Francis’s decade-long struggle with drug addiction. See Luke Moretti’s in-depth look at Ben’s journey to get clean here.

SUPERVISED INJECTION? | Some leaders have taken a radical approach to fighting the opioid crisis by proposing supervised injection sites. Watch as Jenn Schanz speaks to local officials and other New York leaders on the matter here.

BREAKING THE HABIT | A local woman says she overcame addiction’s “animalistic” lifestyle. Dave Greber spoke with Brianna Cormier — a former addict who claims she use to only be “a shell of a human being.” See her story here.