INTRODUCTION WRITTEN BY DEREK JETER WITH HIS FATHER S. CHARLES JETER
NEW YORK, NY, October 29, 2008 –Phoenix House, the pioneering drug abuse treatment and prevention program, is publishing a book “Words That Free Us: Voices of Recovery,” consisting of the intensely personal narratives of people who have come to Phoenix House to seek recovery and a fresh start. Available on the Phoenix House web site www.phoenixhouse.org/Wordsthatfreeus, the 110-page book celebrates renewal, dreams reclaimed, and hope restored.
“These true-life stories are both elegant and tough-hewn, ordinary and extraordinary, whimsical and profound,” says Howard Meitner, CEO of Phoenix House. “These writers probe deeply into their personal themes – love and friendship, faith and joy – and own up to their fear and pain. There is a piercing honesty to much of what they write, and their work has some passages of extraordinary eloquence. ”
Also notable in these pieces is that addiction doesn’t define the authors, but rather the rich and complex fabric of their humanity. They write of love, friendship, family, faith and joy – but also delve into their pain and anguish. Humorous, brutally honest, and eloquent, all of the writings in “Words That Free Us” are rooted in the shared experience of treatment at Phoenix House.
Damaris Martinez, of New York City writes a searing poem/letter to her father, who left when she was young, sharing the pain of her loss. “Mom could find a new man, but where was I going to find a new Dad? My love was amputated…I’ll never see/How it feels to be tucked into bed, kissed good night,/To know that I’m loved, fall asleep alright.”
Shaun Reed writes with insight and compassion about her fear of failure. “If I think back to my childhood, right about the time when I began to form and sound actual words, the word can’t must have been the next one after Ma-ma and Da-da. My answer for most things was “I can’t do that,” or “It’s too hard.” The only way to break the patterns of the past will be turn that can’t into can.”
Heartfelt and ultimately inspiring, “Words That Free Us” is a must-read for anyone interested not only in addiction and recovery, but in courage, resilience, and honesty.
ABOUT PHOENIX HOUSE
A private, non-profit organization, Phoenix House has grown over the years to become a major national provider of substance abuse services, with a wide range of prevention, treatment, and recovery support programs. By 2008, Phoenix House was operating more than 140 programs in nine states and treating some 6,000 clients each day in variety of settings, from outpatient and residential programs in communities and correctional facilities to the model Phoenix Academy boarding schools for teens. This book is a tribute by some to the many others who have found at Phoenix House their paths to fulfilling new lives of purpose and dignity.
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Media Contact:
Karen Sodomick
(646) 505-2093
KSodomick@phoenixhouse.org
Iva Benson
(212) 843-8271
ibenson@rubenstein.com