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Inside Colorado’s Devastating Fentanyl Crisis

5280 Magazine - Lindsey B. King 5280 November 2022

The first sign of fentanyl withdrawal is the nonstop yawning, says Laura Beth “LB” Burkhalter. Then come the watery eyes and the runny nose. Then sweating, body shakes, heart palpitations, muscle spasms, diarrhea, and vomiting. The symptoms can begin within hours of a person’s last fix. “It was my substance of very little choice for 10 years,” Burkhalter says.

Growing up in Mississippi, Burkhalter says she had mental health struggles and the signs of a predisposition to addiction as a teenager, but it wasn’t until she experienced bone fractures in her legs and feet from athletics that she found the relief of pain meds. “My injuries wouldn’t heal,” she says, “and doctors gave me massive amounts of medication. I was using OxyContin and Vicodin and then fentanyl patches on top of that.”

When her prescriptions ran out, Burkhalter began buying pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl patches from cancer patients she knew who needed money more than pain relief. “The drug stops doing what you need it to do,” she says. “You need more and more to turn your brain off. You need it just to not be sick. I wasn’t strong enough to die or strong enough to live.”

But, tired of being sick and tired, Burkhalter tried to self-detox. She went cold turkey and suffered alone in an apartment in Louisiana for 17 days. When the misery was too much, she got some heroin and did just enough to make the hurt go away. “I was trying to portion control heroin,” she says. “I realized you can’t use heroin like a lady and then went back to my old routine.”

After bearing a son who was addicted to opioids at birth and nearly dying of an overdose, Burkhalter surrendered. Her family found a treatment center for her in Colorado, far away from her life in the South. A year of therapy allowed her to leave the drugs behind, but she didn’t trust herself to leave the recovery community. So, she didn’t. Instead, she found a job working in a treatment center in Lakewood and now also runs a sober-living home for women in Loveland.

Through that work she has learned a lot about how people view addiction. “People are opposed to harm reduction because they see it as enabling,” she says. “My view is that we are enabling them to survive so that they can find recovery. It took me more than 10 years to choose to live, but now I have the gift of recovery and know that life can be beautiful.”

Meet LB Burkhalter | Founder & Executive Director

BY: SHOUTOUT COLORADO

We had the good fortune of connecting with LB Burkhalter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LB, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My personal journey in sober living fueled my desire to create something very different than what I had experienced. Before moving to Colorado, I lived in a run-down sober living in Louisiana where women and children were crammed into a dirty, unsafe home. I was judged for my pathway to healing, made to feel like I deserved that environment, and it only deepened my shame. When I relapsed there, I was woken up at 2 a.m., given 15 minutes to gather my belongings, and kicked out into the night with nowhere to go. Not long after, I overdosed for the first time.
While I don’t blame my substance use entirely on that environment, I do believe it fueled my isolation and placed me in danger. That experience showed me exactly what I didn’t want for women in recovery. When I founded Recovered Humans, I built the opposite: a program that never stops loving women after a relapse, that walks them through setbacks with dignity, and that creates homes where women feel safe, respected, and capable of rebuilding their lives.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Recovered Humans is a network of women’s sober living homes in Colorado, built on the belief that recovery deserves dignity, structure, and love. What sets us apart is that every piece of our program comes from lived experience — I built the program I wish had existed when I needed it most. We don’t judge women for how they find healing, and we don’t turn our backs on them if they experience a return to use. Instead, we walk them through setbacks with compassion and accountability, because that’s how real recovery happens.
Getting here wasn’t easy, but perseverance, my own recovery story, and the support of my community carried me through. From the very beginning, I prioritized doing things the right way — with ethical standards, clear policies, and a focus on quality over shortcuts. The lessons I’ve learned are simple but powerful: if you are denied, don’t give up — the right “yes” will come when you’re ready. Don’t chase the money; keep your intentions true and your motivations grounded in service, and the rest will follow.
What I want the world to know is that fear doesn’t drive healthy success — integrity does. My reputation, the trust of the women we serve, and the community we’ve built mean more than anything. Recovered Humans is proof that when you lead with love, accountability, and service, transformation is not only possible, it’s contagious.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ll be honest — I don’t get out as much as I’d like because life is busy, but when I do, I love supporting local businesses like mine. If my best friend came to visit for a week, I’d build a mix of good food, community, and self-care into the itinerary.
We’d definitely stop at Loveland Chophouse for a great steak dinner, and mornings would start with coffee from Dark Heart or FeelLove Coffee downtown. I’d also make sure we fit in a session at Loveland’s Gold’s Gym because fitness is a big part of my daily practice and something I love to share with others.
We’d stroll through downtown Loveland, checking out the local shops and murals, and maybe catch some live music or a community event if one was happening. The goal wouldn’t be packing the schedule with tourist stops, but really experiencing the heartbeat of Loveland — the food, the people, the art, and the local businesses that make this community so special.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could never have built Recovered Humans without the unwavering love and support of my people. First and foremost, my family — my mother, father, and my sister Nancy — who never gave up on me, even in my darkest seasons. They fought for me until I could fight for myself, and that belief laid the foundation for everything I do today.
My partner in life and business, Richard, also deserves so much credit. He has supported my relentless pursuit of this vision with patience, encouragement, and understanding — even as I balanced working a full-time job while growing my own business. His partnership is a big reason I can keep moving forward.
And finally, my mentor, Steven Brier, who showed me that I was worth so much more than I ever imagined. He guided me through critical steps that helped me believe in myself and gave me the confidence to bring Recovered Humans to life. Each of these people is woven into the story of how this dream became reality.

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