JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) - Families everywhere are setting the table for a Thanksgiving feast this week, but more than 900,000 Missouri families are leaving a space for a loved one who struggles with substance abuse.

The holidays are for fun and family time, but it’s no secret they’re also stressful. Dr. Luke Buffaloe, a family medicine physician with MU Health Care, said he sees more people fighting their substance abuse disorder this time of year.

According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, hundreds of thousands of Missourians seek help for opioid abuse, but a rising trend doctors like Dr. Buffaloe are seeing is Missourians struggling with addiction to kratom or 7-OH.

“It has some stimulant effects similar to caffeine does, but the reason we get concerned about it is

See Full Page