Follow The Poppy
Opioid Resources
Navigating addiction, recovery, and the opioid crisis.
Follow The Poppy was created by Sarah Spier, a former heroin addict turned behavioral health professional, to help people better understand addiction, recovery, and the systems surrounding the opioid crisis.
Through personal experience and years working within treatment programs and behavioral health initiatives, Sarah shares insight into the realities of addiction and the complex systems individuals and families often have to navigate when seeking help, while also examining the broader global and policy forces shaping the opioid crisis.
U.S. Opioid Statistics
US 2025 Annual Overdose Deaths
US Annual ≈ Opioid Misuse
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US % of people with access to treatment
US Annual Opioid Cost ($ Amount in USD)
Follow The Poppy Blog:
Insight on addiction, recovery, and the opioid crisis
Here you’ll find articles examining topics such as addiction and recovery, treatment systems, public policy, the global opioid system, the history of opioids, and the personal realities faced by individuals and families navigating addiction and recovery. Through education, lived experience, and honest conversation, the goal of this blog is to bring clarity and deeper understanding to addiction, recovery, and the complex systems surrounding the opioid crisis.
From Hollywood to Heroin to Hope: Sarah Spier’s Journey
This was not supposed to be my story. My mother should never have found me unconscious in a dope-house, thin, pale, weak, and broken with bruised and bloodied track marks covering my entire body. She was never supposed to have witnessed me slip into a comatose...
Dear Family Warriors: Navigating the Opioid Journey Together
If you have a loved one struggling with opioid addiction, know that you're not alone in this journey. It's a challenging road, filled with uncertainty, but your support can be a lifeline that makes all the difference. Trust me when I say that you play a critical role...
Understanding Fentanyl: The Risks, Facts, Origins, and Global Reach
I wanted one of my first blog posts to be about something that has been dominating headlines and causing significant concern for a number of years now—fentanyl. Now, first and foremost, I'm not here to lecture you, and tell you not to do drugs or share more horror...
Top 3 Misused Opioids
1. Fentanyl
Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is often involved in cases of overdose due to its high potency. Illicitly produced fentanyl, which is commonly mixed with other drugs, poses a significant risk for misuse and overdose.
2. Oxycodone
Oxycodone is a powerful prescription opioid used to manage severe pain. It’s frequently prescribed in various forms, such as OxyContin and Percocet. Due to its euphoric effects, it has a high potential for misuse and addiction.
3. Hydrocodone
Hydrocodone is another commonly prescribed opioid found in medications like Vicodin and Norco. It’s often used for pain relief, but its misuse can lead to addiction and severe health consequences.
Opioids Around The World
A global perspective on addiction, opioids, and recovery.
Follow The Poppy also explores the global dimensions of opioids and addiction. While the opioid crisis is often discussed as a national issue, opioids have shaped societies, economies, and medical systems around the world. These articles examine international trends, drug supply systems, treatment approaches, and the cultural and economic factors that influence opioid use across different regions. By exploring global perspectives, we gain a deeper understanding of how opioids move through societies—and how communities around the world respond to addiction and recovery.
Why I started Follow The Poppy
I created Follow The Poppy because addiction and the opioid crisis are often discussed in ways that overlook the complexity of what people actually experience. Through both personal experience with heroin addiction and years working within behavioral health systems, I saw how difficult it can be for individuals and families to understand addiction, navigate treatment systems, and find real paths toward recovery. Follow The Poppy brings together lived experience, education, and insight to help people better understand addiction, recovery, and the systems surrounding the opioid crisis.
Family Support
1. Family Therapy
The far-reaching consequences of opioid dependency extend their grip over the entire family unit, affecting each member of the family in distinct ways. Within this intricate web of challenges, family therapy emerges as a potent tool for fostering healing and recovery.
2. Coaches & Consultants
Enlisting the support of a coach or consultant can serve as a compass, steering you and your loved one through the complexities of the recovery journey. Thorough research before engaging their services is of paramount importance.
3. Peer Groups
These include 12 Step-programs such as Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, and Families Anonymous. Additionally, there are non-12-step options like Parents of Addicted Loved Ones, SMART Recovery Families, and National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). You find the community and understanding that can make a significant difference in navigating the challenges posed by opioid addiction.
The Tale Of The Poppy
Throughout history, the poppy’s beauty and symbolism have inspired art, literature, and remembrance, with its vivid red petals often representing sacrifice, resilience, and memory. Yet the story of the poppy is also intertwined with the history of opioids. For centuries, the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) has been cultivated for its medicinal properties. Ancient civilizations used its sap as a powerful pain reliever and sedative, laying the foundation for many modern medicines. Over time, the refinement of opium into morphine and later synthetic opioids transformed pain treatment while also contributing to widespread addiction. Medications originally developed to relieve suffering—including morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl—have played a complex role in the modern opioid crisis. Understanding the history of the poppy helps us better understand the roots of the opioid crisis today—a challenge that requires compassion, knowledge, and thoughtful solutions to support recovery and healing.
