TAHLEQUAH — A documentary aiming to combat addiction and alcoholism, with the help of Cherokee County recovery resources, has made several advancements over the past few months. Jeff Reddick, an independent filmmaker and producer, will depict how Tahlequah is a hub for recovery. Since Tahlequah has a high opioid overdose death average and multiple systems are in place to help with addiction, Reddick said the project is getting people's attention.
Reddick said the film will enter the production phase around July or August, with the finished product to be out in November or December. The name for the film is still undecided, and suggestions are being taken. An example of what the film will feature is the teachings of the Peaceful Warrior's Way, whether through the talking circles or the healing forrest model.
"We basically look at this area prior to European contact, and prior to the boarding school experiences, we had in our soil ...
it was made up of ceremonies and spirituality and innerconnectedness. From that we had healthy youth, healthy elders, healthy figures, and as alcohol and drugs have happened, that soil has become corrupted," Audrey Dietz, Peaceful Warrior's Ways assistant program manager, said. Since the soil has become corrupted, Dietz said, they have now found guilt, shame, fear, and anger, and it's getting worse.
"What we looked at was, if we take one of these people out and send them somewhere to recovery and they come back, they go back in that same soil. Th.