Description: This book attempts to take a hard look at the impact on the culture of Appalachia due to the drug epidemic. This pervasive problem presents challenging times for people who are poorly equipped to deal with it. Appalachian people have always been fiercely independent and after generations of victimization it is little wonder that they have become distrustful of outsiders. In an area already reeling from a crumbling economy and increasing out- migration, this might be the final battlefield. This author sees the need for new approaches, better education and well-funded treatment facilities. The past has portrayed the area and its people as ignorant, ne'er do wells. The present sees them as useless drug addicts. The time has come to see them as fellow humans who can make positive contributions to society.
