There will be a free public showing of the film Our American Family at 6pm on Thursday, September 12th, at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. This film shows the experience of a family working through addiction and recovery in a powerful, intimate and unfiltered way. It clearly portrays how addiction impacts an entire family, not just the individual who is using substances.

Maine made headlines earlier this year for being one of 4 states in the country to experience a reduction in drug overdose deaths greater than 15% during 2023. This was the first year-over year decline in 5 years, and demonstrates important progress to address substance use and overdose deaths. Still, the state lost 607 lives to overdose last year. While there are fewer overdose deaths, the number of reported overdoses is still very high; there were nearly 10,000 reported overdoses in 2023 and a great deal more that went unreported. 

There is important work to do in helping people to connect to treatment and recovery so we can build a future with fewer overdoses and more people restored to their families, lives and communities. A vital first step towards this goal is improving our understanding of what addiction looks like and films like Our American Family can help by showing, in a radically honest way, how addiction impacts families. The film will be followed by a short Q&A session with Linda Geragthy, the mother in the family featured in the film. Free popcorn and drinks will be provided. Please note that the film features strong language and is not recommended for young children. 

September marks National Recovery Month, an annual celebration of recovery. The film showing is one of many events hosted by the Western Maine Addiction Recovery Initiative (WMARI) during that month. WMARI operates the HILLS Recovery Center in Norway, where they connect people to treatment, services and resources, host support events and social gatherings, and champion recovery in Western Maine. WMARI invites you to join this important event, learn more about addiction and recovery, and be part of building a stronger, safer, brighter future for our communities.