A story that so many people will tell about their battle with substance abuse is how at one point, they couldn’t bear to tell their stories at all.
“The hardest part is saying those first words, when you tell a room full of people that you’re an addict and that you need help.”
Those are the words of one Juneau woman in recovery whose story is now part of a web series highlighting Southeast Alaskans’ battles with different substances. In the videos, only a pair of eyes are in focus, and names aren’t used as each person’s story is told by an actor.
Filmmaker Emmett Williams said it was hard to get any person in recovery to publicly talk about their addiction, and it was also hard to get actors — even if they were only revealing their eyes and voices — to portray addicts for his series.
“Some actors didn’t want to take the chance that they would be seen as having a substance problem,” Williams said in a phone interview.
Williams is part of the Sitka-based documentary production company Mission Man Media and, in partnership with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Juneau, he has created as web series of 30-second videos discussing the realities of addiction and recovery.
The clips are released every Wednesday of this month, which is National Recovery Month, on the NCADD-Juneau Facebook page (facebook.com/ncaddjuneau), and also at vimeo.com/missionmanmedia/videos. Each video ends with a fade to a downtown Juneau backdrop which Williams said he hopes helps bring the message home for viewers that these stories are from real people in this community, even if their stories are being told anonymously.
“I wanted to make sure people could connect with Juneau to sort of really get the idea that these things are happening in Juneau. They are not just like the stories you see on TV that could be happening anywhere,” Williams said.
NCADD-Juneau Executive Director Katie Chapman said the goal of sharing these videos is to remind people looking for help that there are options and that no one has to go through recovery alone.
Williams said getting people through the door to talk about their problem and ask for help is the first step, and hopefully these videos are the reminder that the door is open.
“Once people get through the door, (NCADD) has a pretty high success rate, but it’s getting people through the door, especially young people, that’s the struggle” Williams said.
One anonymous person’s story emphasized that struggle: “I rarely left the house, unless to go to work, I was terrified to be around people. So when they told me I’d have to go to them to get help, well, I wasn’t so sure. … Now I’m back, and so is my life.”
Chapman said that once people who feel alone in their addictions come forward for treatment and learn that recovery is happening all around them — in the lives of community leaders and business owners — they’re more willing to face what’s happened in their lives, too.
“I think that helps remove some of the blame, the shame, the guilt that comes with this,” Chapman said. “If people can see others have gone through this struggle and have come out on the other side, that puts the focus on recovery.”
Part of that struggle and recovery also includes recovery for the families affected by their loved ones’ addictions. A new service NCADD-Juneau now offers is a space for parents whose children are in different stages of recovery to gather and lean on each other for support. That parent group functions much like other support groups, with anonymity and a judge-free space.
“They’re not there to figure out how to fix their loved one who has a substance abuse problem, they’re not there to start a revolution or start a movement. It’s to share support, to share hope and to share different ways that they’re coping,” Chapman said.
The parent support group meets at 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday at 211 Fourth St., suite 100. Chapman said the group is led by family members, and guest speakers often attend to provide resources for family members before personal sharing time.
As recovery month comes to a close, opportunities for community members to still participate include the annual Recovery Walk starting at 2 p.m. today at the Douglas Breeze In and ending at the Rockwell Ballroom at 2:30 for a Recovery Fest.
A recovery coach training session will also take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Gruening Park Recreation center, 1800 Northwood Drive. Chapman said everyone is welcome to attend the free event to learn techniques for talking about recovery in a way to treats people with dignity.
For more information on Recovery Month events and changes due to weather, contact NCADD Director Katie Chapman at 463-3755 or recoverysupport@ncadd.org.
