It was fun. It made them feel good. It took away the pain.

Jim, Morgan, John, and Andrea never met. From different states, age groups, and backgrounds, it was unlikely they ever would. And yet they all were tempted by the same thing: opioids.

For Jim Stallings, and 91 Americans every day, it only took one more time.

Born and raised in Maryland, Stallings, his mother recalls, was funny and compassionate, always taking the side of the underdog. He loved fishing, grilling and tinkering with anything mechanical.

But in 1981, when he was 13, Stallings began taking prescription drugs at what were then called "fruit bowling" parties. These days they are known as "Skittles Parties," where teenagers raid their family medicine cabinets, dump whatever pills they find in a bowl and take them at random.

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