Jessica Pfau has battled opioid and alcohol addiction ever since her 2011 gastric bypass surgery. She first joined Angela Kennecke on this podcast in 2019, before heading to prison. Jessica overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl and that violated the terms of her probation. Jessica spent eight months behind bars, but says she received little to no treatment while in a state women’s prison. Jessica says the time away damaged her connections to both her husband and pre-school son. Through it all, Jessica says she has maintained her sobriety, but she is having trouble finding employment with her criminal record. In this podcast she talks about how a system set up to punish, doesn’t foster healing for someone with substance use disorder.
You can hear Jessica’s first interview on Grieving Out Loud on Episode 17.
Why prison is no place for those suffering from addiction
Share this episode:
MEET THE HOST
Angela Kennecke
Angela Kennecke is a journalist who lost her 21-year-old daughter Emily to fentanyl poisoning on May 16, 2018. Angela is “grieving out loud” to try to put an end to this epidemic by stopping the stigma and promoting the treatment of substance use disorder as the disease it is. Anyone coping with loss and looking for inspiration can benefit from listening to this podcast.
Listen and follow Grieving Out Loud
Leave a Reply