The U.S. addiction treatment system frequently fails patients by prioritizing profit over proven care, relying on exploitative labor practices and unregulated programs. Chris Kuhn’s experience at Senecor Foundation—marked by forced labor and punitive tactics—exposes a broader pattern of abuse in facilities with little oversight. Medications like Suboxone can drastically reduce overdose deaths, yet remain inaccessible due to stigma and restrictive policies. In contrast, countries like France have successfully reduced fatalities through widespread access to buprenorphine. Meanwhile, short-term 30-day rehabs prove ineffective for chronic opioid addiction, especially when patients lack housing, community support, or healthcare. April Lee’s story highlights how marginalized groups, particularly Black mothers, are denied treatment and instead funneled into incarceration. True recovery requires not just medication, but sustained support and 'recovery capital'—resources that the current system too often ignores.