And then there's Adam, who's been homeless and has relapsed before. July 3, 2018 Netflix's most recent documentary, Recovery Boys, follows four men as they attempt to reinvent their lives and mend broken relationships after years of drug abuse. Editor's Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly described the plot of Heroin(e). Learn how your comment data is processed. Jerrica, Dr. Blankenships daughter, leads the men through yoga on the front lawn of Jacobs Ladder. When youre high, you dont focus on shit like that.. Ill never forget those words. Sharing this side of the story was a concerted decision by director Elaine McMillion Sheldon, who is from West Virginia. A drama series about the origins of the opioid crisis. Ever. In an interview with The Guardian, both Ryan and Rush confirmed that they're staying sober and even looking forward to the documentary's release. Review: For These 'Recovery Boys,' Sobriety Is a Steep Climb. .wsite-image div, .wsite-caption {} .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{} The decision to include daily farmingandgardening activities within a recovery program was made in hopes of changing the activity of the brain of those suffering from addictionto re-wire the neural connections, hopefully leading to increased future thinking., These men are successfully working on the farm with counselors, peers and community members to change their lives permanently. In an interview with Gold Derby, McMillion Sheldon explained, "I know [the opioid crisis] in a very personal way," adding that she wishes to make films about the people on the ground actually working towards change every day. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. 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? 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. 'Recovery Boys' . The baby calf surrenders to an early and unexplained death while Jeff, Rush and the calfs mother look on. Sitting on leather couches at a West Virginia farm, a father of two reckons with terrible news about his three-year-old daughter, who he just learned had been molested while in foster care. 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. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. Film is an effective tool to bring people together, raise awareness and have conversations that lead to change. Very poinient. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. Sheldon did an excellent job, showing the ups and downs of the recovery process that felt real. Site by FireCask. Jacob's Ladder is a long-term residential recovery program for men, situated in a private farming community. Sheldon told The New York Times that she'd become frustrated with the "othering" that happened to the addicts in her state and wanted to create a more nuanced portrayal of West Virginia's opioid struggle. Living in West Virginia herself, Sheldon had a close connection to this story as she saw first hand what the opioid epidemic was doing in her state. Recovery Boys follows Sheldon's 2017 documentary, Heroin (e), which focused on three women in Huntington, West Virginia -- the so-called "overdose capital of the United States" -- and their. Get the best regional writing in your inbox every week. Learn More > Episode Archive Watch Season 1 - 2019 Episode 9 - Dec 18, 2019 - GUEST: Paige Armstrong, Therapist Episode 8 - Dec 11, 2019 - GUEST: Tayloe Moye Episode 7 - Nov 27, 2019 - GUEST: Lee County Sheriff, Tracy Carter 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. You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. Routine. .wsite-not-footer blockquote {font-size:19px !important;} I pray for all of these men. #wsite-content h2, #wsite-content .product-long .product-title, #wsite-content .product-large .product-title, #wsite-content .product-small .product-title, .blog-sidebar h2 {} var STATIC_BASE = '//cdn1.editmysite.com/'; If your friends and family members aren't sober, fitting back in can be hard. He's the youngest at only 23. Recovery Boys is a 2018 documentary film directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon. The film, which can be viewed on Netflix, was . He showed up at Jacob's Ladder, the farming rehabilitation center featured in the documentary, as a three time felon just released from jail without a job. function initFlyouts(){ It was easy to feel empathy for these men who were fighting various battles that stemmed from their addiction. A three-time felon cant get a job, so how else does a three-time felon put food on the table other than becoming a four-time felon? .wsite-phone {} As Jeff herds sheep into the barn, one leaps from the flock. Ryan and Rush confirmed they're staying sober, she'd become frustrated with the "othering". And where the Recovery Boys are now in 2018 shows just how far they've come since their addictions took hold. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Along with attending group therapy sessions and doing ranch work, they also participated in holistic treatment activities like yoga, meditation, and art projects. It's good to know that Ryan and Rush are sticking to their sober living plan. 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. Ryan so proud of you and inspired by your choice to help others. Jeff, Ryan, Rush, and Adam, all make their way through the program before re-entering society in West Virginia. In telling the story of recovery, the film-makers also had to show that the glimmers of hope in recovery dont come easily either. Sheldon told the Times that it was hard to not get too involved. .wsite-headline-paragraph,.wsite-header-section .paragraph {} if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; Netflix supports the Digital Advertising Alliance Principles. var STYLE_PREFIX = 'wsite'; Recovery Boys, from Academy Award nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Heroin(e)), is an intimate look at the strength, brotherhood, and courage that it takes to overcome addiction and lays bare the internal conflict of recovery. 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. com_currentSite = "821728982892623621"; Recovery Boys follows four residents (Jeff, Rush, Adam, and Ryan) during their time at Jacob's Ladder and shortly after completing the program. com_userID = "13016045";_W.configDomain = "www.weebly.com";_W.relinquish && _W.relinquish() But he was attracted to Jacobs Ladder because it had non-traditional treatment offerings, such as eastern philosophy, meditation and yoga. I dont know what to do, says Jeff, who was at the farm to treat his opioid addiction. Since he was just released from jail, he didn't have permission to leave his hometown, making his recovery even more precarious. . var ASSETS_BASE = '//cdn2.editmysite.com/'; So few of us ever look down. Although public health officials reported to Politico that nothing had changed after Trump's emergency order, projects like Recovery Boys will help people understand the opioid crisis from an intimate perspective. In a new Netflix film, four men on the road to recovery talk about rehabilitation, hope and misconceptions. document.dispatchEvent(initEvt); I have an indescribable feeling of sickness in my stomach. The facility is built on a farm, and part of the therapy is tending to it. .wslide-caption-text {} Rush so proud of you confronting your reality and wanting to be different. a federal public health emergency in response to the crisis. Each of them is beginning a six-month stint at Jacob's Ladder, a The second half of Recovery Boys makes that point, often heartbreakingly. Rush, 26, had been to rehabilitation facilities nine times without success before arriving at Jacobs Ladder. We're not just all bad people. 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. 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. I know what people want to hear so it is really easy for me to skate through a program undetected, he explains in the film. Ryan told The Guardian, "My hope for this documentary is that it de-stigmatized the addict. Parents need to know that Recovery Boys is a documentary set in West Virginia that deals exclusively with the current, ongoing opioid epidemic. 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. Jeff "doesn't know a sober person back home." After he leaves Jacob's Ladder, he relapses. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. You can change your cookie preferences. } It was time to want to change. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. I reached a point in my life where my addiction was no longer enjoyable as it became a chore. 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. We are good people inside." Photo by Rebecca Kiger. In 2014 an immediate family crisis with addiction brought Kevin face-to-face with the significant issue of this growing epidemic and the lack of recovery options throughout our country. She is currently photographing stories about foster care and adoption. .wsite-button-inner {} Opioid abuse skyrocketed in the past 10 years, especially in the Appalachian region, which engulfs West Virginia. document.documentElement.initCustomerAccountsModels++ Viewers get to know the men at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives, so it's only natural to wonder how they're doing now that the cameras are off. Filmmaker Elaine McMillion-Sheldon, who lives in the state, and her team spend 18 months tracking four young, white men and their struggle to recover. Recovery Boys charts the journeys of four who do. . In the interview, Rush also opened up about what his hopes for the documentary are. .wsite-footer blockquote {} Photo by Rebecca Kiger. .wsite-button-inner {} Both the young males were sexually assaulted, whereas the females were left physically untouched. Ryan, who was raised in North Virginia, said he grew up with people who used but did not embrace rehabilitation programs. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. "My hope for this documentary is that it de-stigmatized the addict," he said. 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. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. In a region ravaged by opioid abuse, four young men in a farming-based rehab forge a bond as they try to reinvent their lives after years of addiction. initPublishedFlyoutMenus( Jeff, a three-time felon, knows all about that. This website cannot be displayed as your browser is extremely out of date. Ryan wrangles a sheep for hoof cleaning. [4], It was released on June 29, 2018 on Netflix streaming.[5]. We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. post-production supervisor Sound Department Editorial Department Its easy to appreciate the view at the top. During the documentary, Jeff learned that his three-year-old daughter was molested while in foster care, one of the many reasons why Jeff sought help for his addiction. Boredom. (function(a,e,c,f,g,h,b,d){var k={ak:"867848462",cl:"9863CJbgsHUQjqLpnQM",autoreplace:"(304) 239-1214"};a[c]=a[c]||function(){(a[c].q=a[c].q||[]).push(arguments)};a[g]||(a[g]=k.ak);b=e.createElement(h);b.async=1;b.src="//www.gstatic.com/wcm/loader.js";d=e.getElementsByTagName(h)[0];d.parentNode.insertBefore(b,d);a[f]=function(b,d,e){a[c](2,b,k,d,null,new Date,e)};a[f]()})(window,document,"_googWcmImpl","_googWcmGet","_googWcmAk","script"); !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) Jacobs Ladder is administered by Dr. Kevin Blankenship, who built the program essentially by hand after his own sons opioid addiction. Send any friend a story. Rush tends to the chickens at the Utterback farm. Recovery Boys, from Academy Award nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Heroin(e)), is an intimate look at the strength, brotherhood, and courage that it takes to overcome addiction and lays bare the internal conflict of recov See production, box office & company info. Jeff is a 26-year-old father of two who's been released from jail into a six-month program. .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;} Best Documentary Films on Netflix Of All Time. .fancybox-title {} Filmmaker Elain McMillion Sheldon is the visionary behind the moving documentary. body.wsite-background {background-attachment: fixed !important;}.wsite-background.wsite-custom-background{ background-size: cover !important} Prior to the documentary's release, Ryan and Rush confirmed they're staying sober in an interview with The Guardian. . Photo by Rebecca Kiger. Are we just having fun?. 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? By his own admission, Jeff doesnt know anyone whos sober. " Recovery Boys" follows Jeff, Ryan, Adam and Rush during their six-month stay at Jacob's Ladder, the farm-based rehab in Aurora, W. Va., founded by Dr. Kevin Blankenship. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. He became board certified in emergency medicine and worked in numerous medical settings throughout West Virginia. 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. Recovery Boys is streaming on Netflix from 29 June. .wsite-menu-default a {} Between the winters of 1976 and 1977, four young kids - two boys and two girls - were abducted and slain in Oakland County, Michigan, with their bodies carefully laid to rest on the snow. Its widespread abuse has led to a barrage of devastating news coverage and the Trump administration declared a federal public health emergency in response to the crisis. They mostly hate the idea; feel unworthy of it. Followed by a documentary crew for 18 months, the quartet, all from the desolate mining colony of Morgantown, West Virginia, attempt to navigate the pulsing arteries in the pockmarked heart of Americas opioid epidemic. .wsite-phone {} Ryan, 35, sings and plays guitar. Farmer Mark Utterback, Ryan, and Adam gather potatoes in the fall. For the participants, the rehab felt like a much-needed change. The documentary has definitely opened many viewers eyes to the real affects of opioid addiction, in a humanizing that many haven't seen before. #wsite-title {} In the Bible, Jacobs Ladder extended to the heavens. Recovery Boys offers a sober and unflinching glimpse into the heart of Americas opioid epidemic, following four young men for 18 months as they navigate recovery on a farm in West Virginia. It is one of several scenes in the new Netflix documentary Recovery Boys that depicts four men who could easily be classified as tough guys processing their emotions at the Jacobs Ladder rehabilitation program. } It is intimate and courageous at the same time. Recovery Boys Netflix documentary on addiction recovery is out. Read all Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon 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. This 2010s documentary film-related article is a stub. You can also change your preferences at any time by clicking on Cookie Preferences in the footer of each page. or A three-time felon can't get a job, so how else does a three-time felon put food on the table other than becoming a four-time felon? 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. 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. With a rise in drug abuse, Bayview Recovery is here. His own son is in. .wsite-elements.wsite-footer h2, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .product-long .product-title, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .product-large .product-title, .wsite-elements.wsite-footer .product-small .product-title{} .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 {} You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. 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. M3GAN Is Finally Available To Stream After The Kids Go To Bed, 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' Puts A Dark Twist On The Classic Disney Tale, 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish' Is So Fun, But Gets Way Darker Than You Expect, Everything You Need To Know To Watch 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish', What Parents Are Talking About Delivered Straight To Your Inbox, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. The men featured in the photo series attended the farming-based rehab center and are the subjects of the 2018 feature-length documentary "Recovery Boys," directed by Academy Award nominee and West Virginia native Elaine McMillion Sheldon. }}\"\n\t\t{{\/membership_required}}\n\t\tclass=\"wsite-menu-item\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t{{{title_html}}}\n\t<\/a>\n\t{{#has_children}}{{> navigation\/flyout\/list}}{{\/has_children}}\n<\/li>\n","navigation\/flyout\/list":"