@lsureveille
The Daily Reveille Est. 1887
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Volume 127 · No. 7
lsunow.com/daily
SELLING SICKNESS How the use of opioids over the last 20 years created the heroin epidemic BY MADISON MCNULTY | Manship School News Service Adam Singer recalls being 13 years old when he took OxyContin for the first time. He just witnessed a suicide and needed something to numb the pain. On the Fourth of July 2002, Singer and his friend walked over to a neighbor’s house across the street. Moments after letting themselves in, a horrifying sound exploded throughout the house. The neighbor shot himself the head. Traumatized, the young boys ran to the friend’s mother where they were given alcohol and OxyContin to ease their nerves. This was the beginning of Singer’s downward spiral. “All I understood was that a small pill took my pain away, and I loved that,” Singer said. Growing up, abusing opioids was a part of Singer’s life. It was the only thing that made him feel normal. In high school Singer took a daily dosage of OxyContin each morning before class. Regularly, he and his friends prowled down their school’s hallway looking for a classmate willing to sell. The most common deal offered to them was a 80 milligram pill for $35. Today, pills are much cheaper, Singer said. The addictive drug was equally, if not more accessible than a case of beer, Singer said. By senior his year, Singer was class president, but admits he does not even remember graduating because of his unstable condition.
see PAGE 2
SEC FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS
Ed Orgeron has high expectations for 2018 season despite difficult schedule, vocal critics, page 3
OPINION “One can only hope Kavanaugh will stick to his precedentupholding tendencies and leave Roe v. Wade alone,” page 8
Devin White, Foster Moreau and Rashard Lawrence share expectations, goals for 2018, page 4-5