WGBY to Screen NOVA’s ‘Addiction’ in Greenfield Today

GREENFIELD — In the midst of the opioid crisis, and in a world in which many other diseases can be traced to addictive behavior, PBS’s NOVA investigates how addiction works, and how to resolve this dire social and medical issue, in Addiction, a film airing on PBS on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m.

Prior to the national premiere broadcast, local public television station WGBY will present a free public advance screening today, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield. The screening is free and open to the public, and is being conducted in partnership with the college and the Franklin County Opioid Task Force. Details are available at wgby.org/addiction.

NOVA joins scientists and sufferers alike as they probe the mysteries of addiction. They are discovering that addiction is not simply a lack of willpower; drug abuse produces significant chemical changes in the brain — changes that are hard to control and hard to reverse. And it is not just drugs; alcohol, sugar, caffeine, and even exercise can incite addictive behaviors.

Julia Cort, NOVA’s deputy executive director will moderate a community conversation with panelists following the film. Panelists include Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan, internist Dr. Paul Carlan of Valley Medical Group in Greenfield, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Re-entry Coordinator Ken Chartrand, and Julia Crawford, co-producer of Addiction.