SOBER: Stories Of Recovery And Hope From Indiana

Side Effects Public Media

Addiction affects millions of Americans. At a live storytelling event held Aug. 14, 2018, Indiana community members who struggle with addiction shared their stories of life in recovery.

If you or a loved one need addiction treatment resources, go to recoveryindiana.org. 

Nathan Boyer

Nathan Boyd has been in recovery for four years. His wife checked him into rehab after he went to his daughter's school while drunk. (Lauren Bavis/Side Effects Public Media)
 

People in addiction recovery will sometimes talk about a "moment of clarity" that lead to their sobriety. For 48-year-old Nathan Boyer, that moment came after he fell off a ladder and his wife checked him into rehab.

Dwight Fortune

Dwight Fortune was a college athlete who grew up in a supportive home. But once he became successful in the real estate business, he started using drugs and eventually ended up in the prison system. (Lauren Bavis/Side Effects Public Media)
 

Dwight Fortune acknowledges that his story isn't the typical one of someone who ends up in prison after years struggling with addiction. Now, he uses his experiences to help other people in recovery transition back into society after serving time. 

James

James, who asked to only be identified by his middle name, tried Oxycontin for the first time when he was in college. Now in recovery, he works as a paramedic, often responding to overdose victims who need to be revived using the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone. 

Kelsey Phillips

Kelsey Phillips has been in recovery since 2013. She now works with women just entering recovery treatment. (Lauren Bavis/Side Effects Public Media)
 

Kelsey Phillips, who has been in recovery since 2013, now works with women who are just entering recovery. Women who, like her, had children born addicted to heroin, and who have limited access to treatment.

Brandon Dreiman

Brandon Dreiman has been a firefighter and paramedic with the Indianapolis Fire Department for 17 years. Now, he works with other firefighters struggling with addiction and behavioral health issues. (Lauren Bavis/Side Effects Public Media)
 

First responders like firefighter Brandon Dreiman face barriers when it comes to getting treatment for mental health and addiction. He coped with traumatic experiences through drinking. Then, a random work drug screening changed his life.

This story was produced by Matt Pelsor.