Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis with Stephanie Wittels Wachs (Gallery/Lemonada Books, 2026)Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis with Stephanie Wittels Wachs (Gallery/Lemonada Books, 2026)
New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery
Based on the groundbreaking podcast of the same name, Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis (Gallery/Lemonada Books, 2026) is borne of Stephanie Wittels Wachs’s determination to shed light on the ongoing opioid epidemic in America. After the tragic and untimely death of her brother Harris Wittels to an opioid overdose, Stephanie connected with Jessica Cordova Kramer, whose brother died under nearly identical circumstances. Together they launched Last Day, a podcast that facilitates unflinching conversations with addiction specialists, harm reductionists, people in long-term recovery, public policy experts pushing for reform, and many others, to determine what could have saved their brothers lives and how we can prevent overdose deaths moving forward. This August, Steph published a book by the same name. Last Day weaves together a heartbreaking story of personal loss and an unflinching investigation of what could have prevented it. Alongside expert voices on opioid addiction, this book issues a clarion call for change in an ongoing and overwhelming opioid crisis. In this episode, Steph and host Emily Dufton discuss Steph's transformational journey from acute grief to investigative reporting on the state of American drug treatment today. While she still struggles with the loss of Harris, Last Day, in book and podcast form, offer hope for potential solutions and a guidebook for people still in the thick of the struggle. Emily Dufton is the author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America and Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and America's Forgotten War on Drugs.
56:21•29 Oct 2026
Big Sister Wisdom on the Opioid Crisis with Stephanie Wittels Wachs
Episode Overview
- Treat opioid addiction as a chronic disease, not a moral failure or lack of willpower.
- Seek addiction medicine specialists and long-term, evidence-based care rather than relying solely on 30-day rehab.
- Use medications for opioid use disorder as legitimate, life-saving treatment and stay on them as long as they help.
- Embrace harm reduction tools, especially naloxone, and focus on keeping people alive rather than insisting on instant abstinence.
- Prioritise staying connected to loved ones who use drugs, choosing rational, non-ultimatum responses that reduce isolation and risk.
“Understanding something is freedom. Like understanding how something works is the way.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between host Emily Dufton and writer–podcaster Stephanie Wittels Wachs leans hard into that question, using the opioid crisis as its starting point and families as its focus. You’ll hear Stephanie trace the story behind her new guidebook, *Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis*, rooted in the death of her younger brother, comedy writer Harris Wittels.
She talks about going from raw, acute grief – captured in her first memoir *Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful* – to a more research-heavy, practical approach aimed at people frantically Googling how to help a loved one. As she puts it, “I basically wrote the book that I needed when I was in that moment.” The chat breaks down why traditional, abstinence-only thinking fails so many people.
Stephanie bluntly says that “everything that I had learned about addiction is wrong” and walks through the disease framework, long-term care, and why 30 days in rehab rarely matches the reality of a chronic condition. Medication for opioid use disorder, addiction medicine doctors, and harm reduction tools like naloxone are presented as common-sense healthcare, not moral compromises.
Emily and Stephanie also talk about family dynamics: the pressure to issue ultimatums versus the harder work of staying connected to someone who’s using drugs. Drawing on guidance from figures like Gabor Maté, Stephanie contrasts fear-driven responses with ones based on unconditional love and realistic limits. Style-wise, this is anything but dry. Stephanie’s “big sister energy,” humour, and occasional swearing make complex ideas feel human and approachable, even as she challenges mainstream assumptions.
If you’re loving someone through addiction, or trying to understand why overdose deaths don’t have to feel inevitable, this conversation might be the starting point you need. What would change for you if you treated addiction in your family as a medical issue rather than a moral failing?
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