Hello everybody. How are you? Welcome to the Other People podcast. I am Brad Listy here in Los Angeles. It's good to be with you. I hope you're doing all right. Wherever you happen to be. Don't forget to subscribe to this program wherever you listen.

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Today, my guest is Jim Ruland.

He has a new novel out called Make It Stop.

When I read about an imaginary drug in a book, I'm always like, ooh, I wonder what that's like.

And I don't have to feel guilty because it's not fucking real. It's a, it's a make-belief. So I've always wanted to, you know, make up a drug.

And what's a little strange is that I don't know how much I knew about fentanyl. You know,

I started this 10 years ago. But in a way, the drug I made is a little tame compared to how widespread fentanyl is.

The only difference is that this drug is intentionally made with chemicals that if you take it orally,

you'll get the full effect.

But if you start shooting this stuff up,

the effect is even more intense, but it comes with a real physical cost.

Okay, that was Jim Ruland.

His new novel is called Make It Stop.

It is available now from Rare Bird Books.

Make It Stop is a work of speculative fiction reminiscent of Chuck

Pollanick's fight club. That's what comes to mind for me. It takes the reader into a version of

the United States, a version of Los Angeles, where corporate health care has gone completely off the rails,

even more than it already has.

And in particular with respect to detox and rehab centers for people who are struggling with

...