Hague’s story is common among those swept away in the opioid epidemic gripping the country. She wanted to stop using heroin but dreaded the painful withdrawal symptoms. However, in that year, Virginia’s fatal drug overdose rate was lower than the national rate, the CDC found. Hobron noted that, in the past, meth was frequently made in homemade batches. She thought she was using heroin, but it turned out to be the far more potent fentanyl.