David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Hello, it’s Maureen Palmer from Bountiful Films.
Our upcoming documentary Wasted, premieres on CBC’s The Nature of Things, Thursday, January 21st 8pm.
The premise: we follow psychotherapist Mike Pond, a recovered alcoholic 5 years sober, and my partner, as he searches for the best new evidence-based treatments for addiction. At least that was the premise. Shortly after filming began, Mike drank again, which made the search for new treatment options personal and urgent. I’ve never felt more conflicted in my life. The storyteller in me knew the relapse made for a much more compelling film. Yet the more we came to understand what causes addiction, the more we realized continuing to film actually made Mike’s condition worse. How does it all turn out? Tune in on the 21st to find out.
The film spawned the creation of a first-of-its-kind online interactive therapy tool for families struggling with addiction. It’s called the Interactive Guide and, starting January 21st, you’ll find it at addictionthenextstep.com. The Interactive Guide offers a range of scenarios. Click on one that most aligns with your problem and begin an interactive journey of discovery that offers guidance to apply immediately as well as rich, secondary material that can be navigated on your timeline. Produced by Bountiful Films in partnership with Magnify Digital and built in collaboration with New York’s Center for Motivation and Change with financial support from The TELUS Fund, the Interactive Guide teaches how to communicate in a manner that motivates the substance user to change, while reducing family fear and stress.
With the film and the Interactive Guide, we hope to change the conversation around addiction from shame and blame to compassion and evidence-based care.
If you’d like to know more, explore addictionthenextstep.com for fresh-evidence based information about our number one health problem.
