Zac Clark recalls brain surgery pain relief that set off opioid addiction

What was said

"This is the most painful moment of my life. And this medicine she's giving me is completely wiping out that pain. And that was a feeling that I was going to remember and go chase as hard as I could."

Zac Clark tells Rich Roll that after surgery to remove a benign brain cavernoma in his mid-20s, hospital-administered opioids removed his pain so completely that he became determined to recreate the sensation. He describes the experience as a pivotal moment in a later progression from heavy drinking to prescription opioids and, eventually, heroin.