In 2012, I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.
While Holly was in the hospital,
she became addicted to opioids.
She was taking 10 to 12 pills a day.
All I want is just to take that pill and to feel nothing.
Right now, my doctor has me on three pills a day,
but I'm taking eight.
I'm feeling really shaky right now.
It's 1:59, and I have about eight more minutes
before I can take my medicine.
I would go to the ER and I would act like I was
having the worst stomach pain
just so they would give me hydrocodone.
I'm gonna have to use a tool to create bruises on my body.
My addiction has become so bad that I have
to go to other states to get medicine.
I can't get it in the same state
because they're tracking me because I've been
to the hospital so many times.
My mother blames me for my addiction.
When she accuses me of it being my fault,
I wanna numb the way I feel, so that way,
I won't feel so upset that my mother hates my guts.
Well, I'm tired of everybody getting mad at me!
(Linda screams)
Stop it.
The doctor said that I could hold her medication
and administer it to her,
but sometimes I can't say no to her.
Holly runs right over me.
Okay, Holly,
you're addicted to opioids.
Yes, I am addicted to hydrocodone.
And you're taking so much and doing so much
to get a hold of it, that you're blacklisted
at doctors, emergency rooms, and hospitals
where you're now having to drive out of state to get it.
Yes, that is true.
I have to go out of state to get the hydrocodone.
I can't go into my state to get it anymore.
So you walk into an emergency room
and they just look at you and say no?
Yeah.
Now, isn't it true that you take different items,
tools, whatever and hit yourself, harm yourself
to create bruises so you can present 'em
and say, oh, I've had a terrible fall, I'm in pain,
I need medication?
I have done that in the past,
so that way I could get hydrocodone, yes.
So you've injured yourself
so you could show superficial wounds,
bruises, and all to justify getting it?
Yes.
Holly has done everything that she possibly knows
how to do to get these drugs.
And when she goes on these pill runs to other states,
where you have to go across the state line, how far is that?
Oh gosh, well, we live in Chicago,
she goes to Wisconsin, she goes to Indiana,
she'll go to Iowa.
So how far are we talking about?
100-mile run?
200-mile run?
200, 250, it doesn't matter.
And isn't it true that on some of these pill runs,
you drive her?
I have been, yes, it is true.
So what the hell are you thinking?
(audience applauds)
You have an addict daughter on a substance
that is in every headline in every newspaper in America
as one of the biggest life-threatening epidemics
in history, she's part of it,
and you load her up in the car and drive her to go get some.
Yeah, Holly tells me that she won't work and she won't.
Oh, but you bribe her.
You say, give me a massage, I'll give you half a pill.
No, that's not true.
Clean the house, I'll give you a pill.
That's not true.
It is true.
Holly says to me.
Don't tell me that's not true.
It is true.
Holly has said to me that if she would clean,
she says, mom, I'm gonna clean the house
if you give me a pill.
I don't say, I'll give you a pill if you clean the house.
She comes to me.
Do you transact task in exchange for these drugs?
A few times I have, yes.
Okay, so you wanna split hairs with me,
or you wanna talk about saving your daughter's life?
I wanna save my daughter's life.
Then stop the semantic. (beep)
Okay.
(audience applauds)