Dr. Stephen Lloyd plans to talk about his personal story of overcoming opioid addiction and how Mobile is utilizing its resources to battle a deadly epidemic that killed over 1,000 Alabamians in 2020.
But for those attending Wednesday’s symposium on the opioid crisis in Mobile, Lloyd might be best recognized as the inspiration behind the character Dr. Samuel Finnix -- portrayed by actor Michael Keaton -- on the eight-part Hulu series, “Dopsick.”
“It’s weird seeing it on the Hulu series,” said Lloyd, referring to his harrowing personal story of addiction to pain medication and recovery that is portrayed during the TV series.
“In all honesty, it’s how I connect. People look at that (show) and my story and my hope is that from using my story that people will have hope. As it was depicted in the series, those things actually happened.”
Lloyd will be one of four panelists during “An Evening with Steve Lloyd & Friends, After Dopesick” at 6 p.m. at the Mobile Saenger Theatre in downtown Mobile. The event is free.
Lloyd will be joined on the panel by author and journalist Beth Macy, The Honorable Judge Duane Stone and journalist and photographer Lynn Oldshue.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. and resource tables from local organizations and agencies in the field of addiction and recovery will be setup to provide information to attendees.
The Drug Education Council in Mobile is hosting the event.
Lloyd, who works full-time on addiction recovery in Tennessee, said he’s engaged with is happening in Mobile County.
“I cannot tell you how many families I’ve met in Mobile County who lost their kids from overdoses,” he said. “We cannot bring people back we’ve lost but we can go after the ones out there and try to prevent them from suffering the same fate.”
Fennix, based on Lloyd’s personal story, is depicted in the TV show as a hard-working doctor who has his patients’ best interests at heart, but who is eventually won over by a compelling Purdue Pharma salesman pushing OxyContin onto doctors.
Lloyd developed a 100-pill-a-day addiction to OxyContin before he became a leading advocate in Tennessee’s substance abuse department. He has been fully recovered from opioid addiction for the last 17 years and has focused primarily on assisting people who suffer with substance use disorders.
The epidemic continues to rattle the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that overdose deaths continue to climb in Alabama, and beyond.
The state’s death rate per 100,000 residents was 14.9 in 2014. By 2020, it was up to 22.3.
“What I want people to take away from this is hope,” said Lloyd about Wednesday’s event. “I think we’ll come out on the other side of this.”
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