Jeff, Adam, Ryan and Rush are profiled in " Recovery Boys," a Netflix film depicting the struggles of recovery in West Virginia. In the heart of America's opioid epidemic, four men attempt to reinvent their lives and reenter society sober after years of drug abuse. Is that Spartan, monkish life sustainable? Create your own unique website with customizable templates. but I hope that through documentaries like Recovery Boys and inspiring . . West Virginia, and he is one of the four . You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. Ryan wrangles a sheep for hoof cleaning. Ill never forget those words. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. A Trip To Infinity review what is infinity? fbq('init', '196221007616465'); Sutton, Jeff, and Rush take a smoke break on a bench outside of the residential facility. The strongest point of Recovery Boys is the acknowledgment that the path to the greatest temptations winds through life's most mundane realities.Boredom. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. .wsite-menu a {font-family:"News Cycle" !important;font-weight:400 !important;} 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. Jeff's a wiry fellow with a disarming smile, and of the four, he seems to throw himself into recovery with the most enthusiasm. 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. a federal public health emergency in response to the crisis. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot out there about Jeff (or Adam, the other man in the doc) and what he's doing now. Netflix and third parties use cookies (why?). . These days, the men are back home, and it sounds like they are finding their footing after leaving Jacob's Ladder. He added that he hoped the documentary humanized addicts and recovery, which are often talked about in statistics and numbers. Ryan walks through a building being remodeled to house additional residents at Jacobs Ladder. Jeff's parole officer won't let him leave his hometown. Seeing the broken, suffering individual become a healthy, hopeful person in recovery, armed with tools to continue their journey has been the most rewarding experience of my life., -KevinBlankenship, MD Founder and Medical Director Jacobs Ladder at Brookside Farm. Dave and Adam enter the barn to begin predawn farm chores. .wsite-headline,.wsite-header-section .wsite-content-title {} I went through overdoses and car wrecks, and I was jailed a couple times but I didnt want to give up, Ryan said. Recovery Boys: Netflix This documentary Recovery Boys follows four residents (Jeff, Rush, Adam, and Ryan) during their time at Jacob's Ladder and shortly after completing the program. Now, with Recovery Boys, Sheldon took a closer look at the lives of people in recovery. 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 com_currentSite = "821728982892623621"; Making Sunlight in the Dark - WVU Magazine, Where Is Jacobs Ladder Located? First, she made Heroin(e), a short documentary that tracked caretakers and emergency medical workers combating the epidemic. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. You can change your cookie preferences. I had to find something. 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. 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. university 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. .fancybox-title {} s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', Recovery Boy - I am a young recovering alcoholic, this is my blog - Instagram @recoveryboyblog A little bit of my story Featured 'It's 5:30am on a Wednesday morning as I wake. offers FT membership to read for free. It's good to know that Ryan and Rush are sticking to their sober living plan. 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 . I fear for Adam & Jeff. Photograph: Netflix Blankenship's holistic, long-term residential facility incorporates meditation, music and art programming and farm work into the healing. Photo by Rebecca Kiger. 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. Opioid abuse skyrocketed in the past 10 years, especially in the Appalachian region, which engulfs West Virginia. 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. Hopefully the 25-year-old and dad of two daughters is taking care of himself and staying sober, wherever he is. They are there to treat their addiction to opioids such as heroin and prescription painkillers, which have been misused at such a high rate in the US that 115 people died each day in 2016 from opioid-related drug overdoses, according to the US health department. Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin James Sheldon. Responsibility. A statement on McMillion Sheldon's website reads, "After rehab, [the men in Recovery Boys] experience life's trials and tribulations sober, but struggle to find their place and purpose in an often unforgiving society. The movie succeeds in humanizing those affected by the opioid crisis, which involves record-breaking rates of overdoses from heroin and prescription painkillers. "I went through overdoses and car wrecks, and I was jailed a couple times but I didnt want to give up, Ryan explained in the doc. When your consent is required, you can accept, refuse or personalise your choices. if(document.createEvent && document.addEventListener) { Hes a felon and an addict and a father to two young girls. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article as I researched ways to formulate my own review about the documentary and how its helped me on my own recovery journey. He wonders if he never . .wsite-phone {} " 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. .blog-header h2 a {} I reached a point in my life where my addiction was no longer enjoyable as it became a chore. Boredom. Learn how your comment data is processed. Ever. 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. The most likable and tragic is Jeff. The strongest point of Recovery Boys is the acknowledgment that the path to the greatest temptations winds through lifes most mundane realities. #wsite-content div.paragraph, #wsite-content p, #wsite-content .product-block .product-title, #wsite-content .product-description, #wsite-content .wsite-form-field label, #wsite-content .wsite-form-field label, .blog-sidebar div.paragraph, .blog-sidebar p, .blog-sidebar .wsite-form-field label, .blog-sidebar .wsite-form-field label {color:#2a2a2a !important;} 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. Director/producer Zoya Akhtar and producer Reema Kagti reimagine the beloved Archie comics in this live action musical film set in 1960s India. Call 855.345.0744 for help today. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); 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. Recovery from opioid addiction is terribly difficult, as documented in Recovery Boys, a new film that follows four men at a rehab facility in West Virginia. 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. These four men try to reinvent their lives, mend broken relationships, and navigate all of the ups and downs that come with recovery. 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. After seeing the documentary it's not surprising that many people are wondering where are the Recovery Boys now? Parents need to know that Recovery Boys is a documentary set in West Virginia that deals exclusively with the current, ongoing opioid epidemic. "314246390577951990", Ryan said that he was back in Morgantown, West Virginia, and that it was a "huge community of recovery." Ryan told The Guardian, "My hope for this documentary is that it de-stigmatized the addict. Despite only focusing on a single demographic (straight, white male), "Recovery Boys" soberingly depicts what it means to struggle through the eyes of four young menJeff, Ryan, Rush, and Adam, each seeking to escape the ravaging implications of addiction through Jacob's Ladder led by Dr. Kevin Blankenship. .galleryCaptionInnerText {} window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; 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'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. 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"Recovery Boys" can be viewed on Netflix and is available for community screenings. The Utterbacks work closely with the young men in the farming portion of the recovery program. .wsite-product .wsite-product-price a {} Netflix' s latest documentary on the ongoing crisis, Elaine McMillion Sheldon's Recovery Boys, possesses gut-felt moments that accomplish a few of its primary missions: Showing the futility of . Each of them is beginning a six-month stint at Jacob's Ladder, a My hope for this documentary is that it destigmatized the addict, Rush said. Demi Moore Reveals Bruce Willis Has Been Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia, Florence Pugh Returns To Music On New Duet With Brother Toby Sebastian, Everything You Need To Know About The 2023 Oscars, Everything You Need To Know About 'Mean Girls: The Musical', Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. 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. And it turned out it was Jacobs Ladder.. Netflix's New Documentary Takes A Hard Look At Addiction, How Rejecting Toxic Masculinity Is Guiding a Brotherhood of Addicts to Recovery, Produced by W.Va. filmmakers, Netflix documentary Recovery Boys follows four recovering drug addicts, On Netflix, 'Recovery Boys' Humanizes The Opioid Epidemic, "Recovery Boys" Doc Candidly Explores Addiction, Trauma & Rehabilitation, Makers of 'Heroin(e)' release rehabilitation documentary 'Recovery Boys', Follow-up Documentary to Heroin(e) Hits Netflix, Review: For These Recovery Boys, Sobriety Is a Steep Climb, Recovery Boys tackles the day-to-day struggle of opioid addiction. In a new Netflix film, four men on the road to recovery talk about rehabilitation, hope and misconceptions. . I pray for all of these men. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. gtag('config', 'AW-867848462'); You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. So I did. In 2018, she received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video. 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. It is intimate and courageous at the same time. {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; !function(){ var e=document.createElement("script");e.type="text/javascript",e.async=!0;var t=location.protocol+"//widgets.kudobuzz.com/js/widgetLoader.js";e.src=t;document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(e);window.Kudos={Widget:function(e){this.uid=e.uid}},Kudos.Widget({uid:"84f4x2y2y223s274v284o2y2x264x2w284u2v254y2"})}(). First, if you haven't watched the documentary yet you may be wondering who the recovery boys are. //--> Best Documentary Films on Netflix Of All Time. The Utterback family farm sits adjacent to Jacobs Ladder. Opioid addiction and overdoses have wreaked havoc on the state, but the resilience and strength of people in recovery is fighting to get attention amid a barrage of depressing news stories. 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. .wslide-caption-text {} .wsite-headline,.wsite-header-section .wsite-content-title {font-size:24px !important;} I make this film not to victimize, pity or make excuses for individuals, but to uplift the stories of people who are actively trying to make change, no matter how big or small, Sheldon said in a statement. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. The baby calf surrenders to an early and unexplained death while Jeff, Rush and the calfs mother look on. He said that at those facilities, even though he wanted to be sober, he would just try to get out as quickly as possible. "Recovery Boys: the documentary on what happens after opioid addiction", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Recovery_Boys&oldid=1102075279, This page was last edited on 3 August 2022, at 07:34. 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. According to The Guardian, Ryan and Rush are still sober, but what about the other men? I have an indescribable feeling of sickness in my stomach. 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. 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? Read all Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon Required fields are marked *. Rush, 26, had been to rehabilitation facilities nine times without success before arriving at Jacobs Ladder. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The documentary shows the reality of the addiction epidemic from a personal perspective - highlighting the residents' individual struggles and the struggles of their loved ones. {"navigation\/item":"
