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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
CST Editorial Board

Drug overdoses can be prevented by treating addiction as a health condition

Addiction Cook County Haymarket
While final numbers have not been calculated for Cook County, officials estimate nearly 2,000 people have died from opioid-related causes in 2023. (Sun-Times file photo)

Kenneth Purnell knows what it’s like to fight “the monster of addiction.” So does Jerome McNutt. Both men got clean in recent years after multiple stints behind bars and just barely skirting death.

They credit treatment programs, support groups, counseling and family members who wouldn’t give up on them for helping get them on the long road to recovery.

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