‘Not Alone’ is a short documentary film by Linda Sturesson and Marta Waldrop Bergman that touches on the real cause of addiction and ways to recovery through the stories of three recovering addicts: Joe Dammann, Brandon Miller and Deborah Macneil.
Urban legend says addiction is all about the drugs, but the reasons for using run deep. In this film, Deborah, Joe and Brandon share their stories to give people an understanding of what addiction is and where it stems from.
The common denominator is the search for love, compassion and a sense of belonging that all human beings search for in one way or another.
Brandon explained his path to sobriety as a forest thick with fog, where he stumbled over the same logs over and over again. It wasn’t until he went to prison and saw a glimpse of light, in the form of a letter from his daughter, that he began stepping over the logs and onto a new, unknown path called sobriety.
Deborah shared how she eventually felt more alone by using drugs than she did without, and that in order to keep her mental well-being intact, she needed to do something differently.
Joe found his freedom through the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission — a 12 month treatment program for men — and is slowly but surely overcoming his social anxiety that started it all.
All three participants featured say the path to self-love and acceptance is long and unpredictable, but that day by day, it gets a little easier.
They are all overcoming their addictive behaviors (which, they say, often stem from a need for control) with support from family, therapy, and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
