Most readers of this blog are familiar with the devastating impact that makers and prescribers of opiates have had on the fabric of life in the United States. In Rehab: An American Scandal, Marshall Project journalist, Shoshanna Walter, calls our attention to the flip side of the coin. Once people have become dependent on addictive drugs, how does our society handle the challenging problem of helping them recover. What she uncovers can be best described as a bone-chilling exposé of various actors in the rehab system placing profits ahead of patients. One facility comes across as little more than a slave labor camp. Although it’s disputed, one recovery center seemingly lets a patient who has just attempted suicide wander off to ultimately meet an untimely death. Drugs are prescribed without doctor visits. People are wrongly medicated. And the resources we devote to treatment pale in comparison to the need. The book speaks volumes not only about rehab centers but about life in the U.S. for millions in 2026. It’s a sad story but one we should be grateful to Ms. Walter for telling.