The Addiction Story Behind a Beloved 'Parks and Rec' Writer with Stephanie Wittels Wachs

Harris Wittels was one of the funniest writers in comedy, a Parks and Recreation writer and producer and friend to Sarah Silverman, gone from an opioid overdose in 2015 at just 30 years old. His sister, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, spent years not understanding what was actually happening to him, and turned that grief into a mission to make sure other families wouldn't have to learn it the hard way.
She sits down with Carl for a conversation that feels like two siblings comparing notes on a grief they never asked for. They talk honestly about opioid addiction as a disease, how families fall apart trying to respond to it, and the real, practical harm reduction tools, including Narcan, that are actually saving lives right now.
Stephanie is the CEO of Lemonada Media and author of "The Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis," written for anyone who has ever loved someone in active addiction, or lost someone to it.
Resources from this episode:
Naloxone (Narcan)
Safe Spot overdose detection hotline

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