The Terrifying Triple-Digit Spike in Pandemic Overdoses
After a near-fatal heroin overdose, two stints in rehab, and six months in jail, Chandler Cook finally got sober and stayed clean for more than a year. Then came the coronavirus—and the 28-year-old lost his job, and lost his way.
His mom, Michelle Holbrook, called every day but couldn’t visit because of her own health issues. But Chandler was isolated, bored, and physically cut off from the support networks he had built to stop him from relapsing.
On April 21, Michele, who lives about 45 minutes north of Jacksonville, Florida, got a phone call from one of Chandler’s closest friends.