Adults in Yauco, Puerto Rico, are seeking opioids and benzodiazepines at pharmacies like La Concepción to cope with hunger, depression, and loneliness. Many are elderly, struggling with empty stomachs and the absence of their children who have left the island.
They visit the pharmacy in search of prescribed medications to treat pain, anxiety, and insomnia, but also as a means to sleep and temporarily forget their hardships.