The horrific murders of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, by their son are made more tragic because they were preventable.

Nick Reiner, Rob’s son, began his downward spiral to murder at age 15. His eighteen attempts at failed rehabilitation are typical of the 1.36 million patients going through Rehabilitation Programs to address their Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

Drug Rehabilitation is now a $35 billion global industry. Americans spent $9.44 billion on patient rehabilitation treatments in 2024. U.S. Rehab spending is expected to rise to $16.22 billion by 2033. Another $1.5 billion is allocated in Federal grants for Opioid Response Programs.

Approximately 60 percent of those who complete rehab programs relapse into addiction. Only 43 percent of those who enter rehab programs complete their treatment.

These multiple levels of failure have only motivated government and private foundations to spend more money pursuing the same approaches. How many more lives will be lost before there is meaningful change?

It does not have to be this way.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rico Petrini remembers the early days of high school football — the excitement, the intensity and the hits that came with playing linebacker. Back then, he said, getting “your bell rung” was something teammates laughed about.

“I probably had at least 8 to 10 concussions in high school,” Petrini said. “We used to laugh about, oh, he’s seeing stars.”

Football was more than a sport for him. He studied it, lived it, and eventually drew the attention of more than 100 colleges. He chose Oregon State, but by the time he stepped onto the field there, he said the damage had already piled up.