On Pills and Needles: The Relentless Fight to Save My Son from Opioid Addiction

When Rick Van Warner found himself searching abandoned buildings and dangerous streets looking for his missing son, he had no idea that the synthetic, pill-form heroin that had snared his teen was already killing so many. In the years of pain and heartache that followed as he tried to save his son from opioid addiction, Van Warner discovered what the American public is just now becoming aware of: opioids prescribed for even minor pain relief are so addictive that even a few days of use can create dependency.

On Pills and Needles is a memoir that also serves as a wake-up call and crash course in opioid addiction. Through his harrowing personal story, Van Warner exposes the common causes of opioid addiction, effective and ineffective ways it has been treated, and how families can walk alongside loved ones who are dealing with the daily realities of addiction.

From the Back Cover

How could this have happened? How could this sixteen-year-old, who less than a week earlier had left home on a typical Friday morning for school, now be flirting with death by overdose?

When Rick Van Warner found himself searching abandoned buildings for his missing son, he had no idea that the synthetic, pill-form heroin that had snared his teen was already killing so many. In the years of pain and heartache that followed as he tried to save his son from addiction, Van Warner discovered what the public has just recently become aware of: prescription opioids are so addictive that even short-term use can create dependency, igniting an epidemic that now claims nearly 100 American lives each day.

On Pills and Needles is one family's story, but it is also a wake-up call and crash course in opioid addiction. Through his harrowing personal journey, Van Warner exposes the common causes of opioid addiction, effective and ineffective ways it has been treated, and how families can walk alongside loved ones who are dealing with the daily agony of addiction.


"Rick Van Warner is a wonderful storyteller. His compelling and honestly disarming book reads like fiction and captures the angst in families where addiction and its collateral damage impact loved ones. He also shows a different path to treatment and recovery than conventional wisdom allows. A real page-turner."--Mark S. Freeman, PhD, psychotherapist and counselor

"Rick Van Warner not only takes us through the dangerous back streets of opioid addiction in America but also through the inner chambers of a loving parent's heart. I found myself holding my breath until the very last page."--Bill Shore, CEO and founder of Share Our Strength

"A compelling story. We need public outrage to end this problem. Most importantly, we need to do our best to make sure that no other parent ever gets the call we got--that our beautiful eighteen-year-old daughter, Victoria, had died from a drug overdose."--David Siegel, president and CEO of Westgate Resorts, founder of Victoria's Voice Foundation


Rick Van Warner is a thirty-year veteran of journalism, crisis management, and media relations. Rick was compelled to share his personal story to help other families after recognizing the endemic nature of the current opioid addiction epidemic. Rick lives in central Florida with his family.