She said: Documenting the crisis is quickly defining Sheldon's career. #wsite-content h2, #wsite-content .product-long .product-title, #wsite-content .product-large .product-title, #wsite-content .product-small .product-title, .blog-sidebar h2 {} Sutton, Jeff, and Rush take a smoke break on a bench outside of the residential facility. "314246390577951990", Blankenships holistic, long-term residential facility incorporates meditation, music and art programming and farm work into the healing process. It was easy to feel empathy for these men who were fighting various battles that stemmed from their addiction. .wsite-product .wsite-product-price a {} We are good people inside., 'It needs to make you uncomfortable': the opioid documentary set to shock America, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Opioid vending machine opens in Vancouver, Fentanyl drug deaths rise by nearly a third in England and Wales, Revealed: loopholes that let addicts buy hundreds of opioid pills online, Opioid lawsuit targets rich family behind drug that fueled US crisis, Prince: no criminal charges to be filed over musician's overdose death, Treating pain without addiction: inside the lab fighting the opioid crisis, Enduring pain: how a 1996 opioid policy change had long-lasting effects, Thehard truth about back pain: dont rely on drugs, scans or quick fixes, Opioid prescriptions in England nearly doubled in 10 years report. She told the Times that she hopes to capture the next generation and follow up with these stories. Watching the four men featured in the Netflix documentary deal with their issues head-on is truly inspiring, as is their commitment to staying clean and living well in the time following their rehab stays. A Trip To Infinity review what is infinity? Rush, 26, had been to rehabilitation facilities nine times without success before arriving at Jacobs Ladder. The henhouse is moved regularly in order to fertilize the farmland and maintain healthy soil. [{"id":"175130700543580652","title":"Home","url":"index.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"459716944251557323","title":"Testimonials","url":"testimonials.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"182703231163419235","title":"About Us","url":"about-us.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"292357577651111633","title":"Program","url":"program.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"900938997470580077","title":"Start Recovery","url":"start-recovery.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"803840889841036812","title":"Location","url":"location.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"548026047714186422","title":"Families","url":"families.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"496316995133232680","title":"Contact","url":"contact.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false},{"id":"314246390577951990","title":"Recovery Boys","url":"recovery-boys.html","target":"","nav_menu":false,"nonclickable":false}], Copyright 2012 - 2021 Belt Magazine | All Rights Reserved. In January, President Trump instated a 90-day public health emergency, as Politico reports, in order to respond to the opioid use that had caused West Virginia to have the highest drug overdose death rate in the U.S.. While the effects of the opioid epidemic might feel distant to some viewers of the new doc, the stories shown in Recovery Boys will feel incredibly relatable after all, everyone's had to overcome struggles at some point or another. Theres aftercare and a sober-living house built right next door and jobs at the local coal mine, but what then? 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"I wanted to find people who were actively trying to do something about the situation.". Photo by Rebecca Kiger. Ryan called his town of Morgantown, West Virginia a "huge community of recovery," and it sounds like Recovery Boys can only help strengthen that bond. Sheldon told the Times that it was hard to not get too involved. _W.themePlugins = []; _W.recaptchaUrl = "https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js"; Then, something quietly revolutionary occurs: the men consider Jeffs options, his feelings, and share their own experiences with sexual assault and losing custody of their children. And it turned out it was Jacobs Ladder., In addition to highlighting the benefits of a program like Jacob's Ladder, though, Recovery Boys also shows how difficult life for a former addict can be once rehab ends. The documentary, directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, who also made Heroin(e), really humanizes the opioid epidemic, which was the mission. The film got an Academy Award nomination. Jacob's Ladder is a long-term residential recovery program for men, situated in a private farming community. ", The founder of Jacob's Ladder, Dr. Kevin Blankenship, created the rehab center and its 18-month program to offer an alternative approach to helping people recover from opioid addictions. The rates of opioid addiction in West Virginia are so high that his small town is unfortunately populated by addicts, making it hard to stay clean. Thumbing through family photos, he nonchalantly narrates one horrible loss after another; his father was crushed by a tree in a logging yard, his mother went out for a drink and never came home, his friend overdosed, his sister is on the run from the law. I have an indescribable feeling of sickness in my stomach. Learn more about our use of cookies and information. The eggs are gathered, sold, and used for meals at Jacobs Ladder. Is that Spartan, monkish life sustainable? .wsite-menu-default a {} Adam reclines across a makeshift table in a home being remodeled on the property. .wsite-not-footer blockquote {font-size:19px !important;} Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. So did Ryan & Rush. Recovery Boys (2018) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon Produced by Music by Daniel Hart Cinematography by Curren Sheldon . Netflix and third parties use cookies (why?). They mostly hate the idea; feel unworthy of it. The reality and the moral message and strength of their lives as well as my own was ripped from Ryans soul when he stated his addicition had finally reached a point that its a chore not a way to live anymore. Netflix and third parties use cookies and similar technologies on this website to collect information about your browsing activities which we use to analyse your use of the website, to personalise our services and to customise our online advertisements. _W.storeCurrency = "USD"; Hes a felon and an addict and a father to two young girls. Heartfelt. .wslide-caption-text {} Six months of sobriety under the watchful supervision of caring, saintly counselors is one thing, but what are you going to do for the rest of your life? Editors Note: The images in this series were taken by West Virginia photographer Rebecca Kiger at JacobsLadder,a residentialaddiction recoveryprogramrun by Dr. Kevin Blankenship intheruralcommunityof Aurora,WestVirginia. .wsite-elements.wsite-not-footer:not(.wsite-header-elements) h2, .wsite-elements.wsite-not-footer:not(.wsite-header-elements) .product-long .product-title, .wsite-elements.wsite-not-footer:not(.wsite-header-elements) .product-large .product-title, .wsite-elements.wsite-not-footer:not(.wsite-header-elements) .product-small .product-title, #wsite-content h2, #wsite-content .product-long .product-title, #wsite-content .product-large .product-title, #wsite-content .product-small .product-title, .blog-sidebar h2 {font-family:"Raleway" !important;} The food is used in the meals they collectively cook for one another. If you wrote it, youd be accused of laying it on too thick. Ready Steady Cut is operated by Hart-Wilson Media Limited .wsite-headline-paragraph,.wsite-header-section .paragraph {} Recovery Boys is streaming on Netflix from 29 June. According to some relevant factoids deployed at the end of Netflixs new original documentary, 90% of Americans who need help recovering from drug addiction dont get it. Rush, 26, contends with depression. gtag('js', new Date()); In the heart of America's opioid epidemic, four men attempt to reinvent their lives and reenter society sober after years of drug abuse. Through the documentary, viewers watched as the four men went through rehabilitation at the nontraditional clinic, Jacob's Ladder, which is on a farm in rural West Virginia. Recovery Boys follows four residents (Jeff, Rush, Adam, and Ryan) during their time at Jacob's Ladder and shortly after completing the program. .galleryCaptionInnerText {} A new Netflix documentary called Recovery Boys, out June 29, provides a rare look into four men's time in rehab while recovering from opioid addictions. The second half of Recovery Boys makes that point, often heartbreakingly. Review: For These 'Recovery Boys,' Sobriety Is a Steep Climb. Rush said he was uncomfortable at first with the cameras, but that the film-makers quickly became a part of the family by doing yoga and eating meals with the men. As for Jeff and Adam, there doesn't appear to be much information about how they're doing after the documentary's end, but hopefully they're doing well too, especially Jeff. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. This docuseries delves into one of our greatest modern mysteries: Flight MH370. The strongest point of Recovery Boys is the acknowledgment that the path to the greatest temptations winds through life's most mundane realities.Boredom. The silence lingers until addiction counselor Craig Cohen carefully asks the four men, each a portrait of masculinity in camouflage caps and tattoos: Are we just talking shit every day? The film changes the narrative from destitute people injecting drugs in a run-down apartment block or crumbling rural shack and instead nestles recovering drug users among frolicking pigs and chickens, providing a much-needed antidote to the barrage of depressing stories about the countrys opioid crisis. "Recovery Boys" depicts a tough battle, but one that is . We are good people inside." Everybody thinks of the guy under the bridge with the tattoos, the beard. Sheldon told The New York Times in another interview: The intimacy between the filmmaker and her subjects was real, making the documentary all the more captivating. offers FT membership to read for free. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. The realities of addiction and abuse are unglamorous, but not unsympathetic. "I think one of the bigger stories is whats going to happen to the kids the generation behind the people currently suffering from substance abuse disorder, overdosing and dying, locked-up in prison, or getting their kids taken away from them," she said. . Jeff, newly detoxed, ardently wants to live life without drugs and alcohol but "it's all I grew up around . {} Jeff, Adam, Ryan and Rush are profiled in " Recovery Boys," a Netflix film depicting the struggles of recovery in West Virginia. Editor's Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly described the plot of Heroin(e). And it turned out it was Jacobs Ladder.. After seeing the documentary it's not surprising that many people are wondering where are the Recovery Boys now? They even mentioned that they were looking forward to the documentary's release. . Whether youre an individual, or represent a recovery center, a church or a first responder unit, you can follow this link to easily. Jacobs Ladder was founded by Dr Kevin Blankenship after the retired emergency room doctor was unable to find a long-term recovery program for his son, who is now clean and makes a brief appearance in the film. .wsite-phone {} In a new Netflix film, four men on the road to recovery talk about rehabilitation, hope and misconceptions. .fancybox-title {} 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Photo by Rebecca Kiger. Oddly for the rural American South and for the subject of recovery, which is often dominated by at least partly spiritual programs like the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (once described by Kurt Vonnegut as, alongside jazz, one of humanitys finest inventions), there is scarcely a mention of God in Recovery Boys the programs name notwithstanding. var initEvt = document.createEvent('Event'); but I hope that through documentaries like Recovery Boys and inspiring . We meet Jeff, the first resident of the six-month, farm-based program, and follow his story along with Rush, Adam and Ryan, as they fight for sobriety and their lives. Jeff is the very first resident at the rehab center and he is highly motivated to get sober so he can regain custody of his two young daughters. .wsite-elements.wsite-footer div.paragraph, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer p, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .product-block .product-title, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .product-description, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .wsite-form-field label, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .wsite-form-field label{} You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Ryan told The Guardian, "My hope for this documentary is that it de-stigmatized the addict. The documentary. Now that youre not high, you come out and listen to all the birds, Jeff says one morning at the farm. The four men, Jeff, Rush, Adam and Ryan, all victims of the burgeoning opioid crisis in America are seen tending to farm animals at the rehab . See what 's coming soon and Watch bonus videos on New Netflix film, which record-breaking... 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