Portland Mayor Tom Potter
March 28, 1 – 3 PM in City Hall Council Chambers
FINDING NORMAL is a powerfully honest documentary film about the Central City Concern Recovery Mentor Program, a group of Portland addicts in their day-to-day struggle to find a “normal” way of thinking and living, and the counselors who assist and mentor them.
A new survey from Portland State’s Regional Research Institute shows the Central City Concern Recovery Mentor Program has an exceptionally high rate of recovery for participants.
Results of the survey show “demonstrated profound reductions in both drug use and criminal activity” by program participants; including a 95% reduction in use of any illegal drugs.
Central City Concern’s Recovery Mentor Program reaches out specifically to addicts with significant addiction issues, with on average 7.6 years of peak drug use. The stats are a good argument for more dollars for drug treatment, and you might want to refer to them next time somebody suggests cutting treatment budgets or building new prisons.
What critics are saying about FINDING NORMAL
“…a thoroughly engrossing documentary by Brian Lindstrom about a group of Portland drug addicts and their rehab counselors trying day-by-day to keep themselves clean, sober and together. The film is raw and real, filled with undeniable moments of pain and elation and human personality. It’s impossible to imagine a more honest look at this all-too-common world, and it’s impossible, too, to understand how the film hasn’t gotten exposed in a bigger venue.”
Shawn Levy, film critic, The Oregonian
“Local filmmaker Brian Lindstrom is as uncompromising in his study of recovery as are the mentors who have rebuilt their lives and are now committed to helping others. What unfolds are intimate portraits of human triumph and failure…one of the finest films to come out of Portland in years.”
David Walker, film critic, Willamette Week
About filmmaker Brian Lindstrom – www.brianlindstromfilms.com
More about the Central City Concern Mentor Program