Pacific Grove author who lost her brother to opioids writes the book she wished she’d had.

Eleven years ago, Stephanie Wittels Wachs lost her brother Harris Wittels, a comedian and TV writer and producer, to a heroin overdose. His addiction began with opioids, at one point spending $4,000 a month on OxyContin. Wittels went through rehab more than once and eventually began shooting heroin because it was cheaper. He had shared news of his addiction with his sister a few years before.

“When you’re thrown into the all-consuming chaos of watching someone you love grapple with an opioid use disorder, it’s hard to know what to do or where to go or how to help,” she wrote in the introduction to her new book, Last Day; How to Stop Losing Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis.

The book was born out of the Last Day podcast the Pacific Grove resident co-founded with Jessica Cordova Kramer, who lost her brother to similar circumstances. They subsequently launched Lemonada Media, which became a podcasting powerhouse, and of which Wittels Wachs serves as CEO.

Last Day is the book she wishes she could have read after she learned of her brother’s addiction.

“I want people to dog-ear it and highlight it and use it as a resource and then pass it along to the next person who needs it,” she says. “I’m just so glad it’s out in the world and I hope that it is instructive and makes people feel less alone.”

The book is easy to read and understand, told in a straightforward way with wisdom and wit. It dispels myths about opioid addiction, as well as delving into how we got into the crisis in the first place and suggests policy changes that could save lives.

First and foremost, we need to understand that addiction is a disease, Wittels Wachs contends, and needs to be treated as such. She also challenges the effectiveness of the 30-day rehab stint.

“The biggest misconception is that you’re going to send your person into this 30-day treatment center and they’re going to come out cured, like sending them through a car wash,” she says. It generally takes five years to get from last use to sustained remission.

“If you start with, ‘This is a disease,’ it would be absolutely insane to send your person who has cancer into a 30-day chemo program and then great, they’re done,” Wittels Wachs says. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Last Day Book Tour appearance at 5-7pm Saturday, Sept. 12 at Olivia & Daisy Books, 13766 Center St., G1N, Carmel Valley. $40. oliviaanddaisy.com.