Washington, D.C. — The Power of Our Stories: Speaking Out for Addiction Recovery is a new training video from the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization Faces & Voices of Recovery.

"The Power of Our Stories is designed to empower people in recovery, their family members, friends, and allies to speak out for addiction recovery," stated Merlyn Karst, chair of Faces & Voices of Recovery and co-founder of Advocates for Recovery in Denver, CO. "We encourage individuals and organizations to use the video and the training materials to hone their skills as advocates."

Through example, the video emphasizes the importance of standing up and speaking out. It demonstrates how people are using their stories to change attitudes and policies that stigmatize and discriminate against people seeking or in recovery from addiction to alcohol or drugs.

The 44-minute video includes an instructional session with three recovery advocates – Dona Dmitrovic of the Johnson Institute; Chris Kelly of Advocates for Recovery through Medicine; and James McClain of Oxford House – who practice telling their stories with trainer Julia Ritchie.

The video also features prominent individuals from the recovery community including Ron Williams of the Recovery Association Project; the Rev. Marcus Harvey of STRENGTH, Inc., Representative Jim Ramstad (R-MN), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Addiction, Treatment and Recovery; and historian William White. These individuals and others share their stories and discuss the importance of putting a face and a voice on recovery. 

DVD copies and accompanying training materials are available from Faces & Voices of Recovery for $15.95. A web stream version of the video is available at no cost on the Face & Voices web site at: www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.  

Faces & Voices of Recovery is working to mobilize, organize, and rally the millions of people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs, their families, friends, and allies in a campaign to: end discrimination; broaden social understanding; and achieve a just response to addiction as a public health crisis.