User Reviews

I went to see this movie with a dozen or so folks in recovery. Maybe that was the difference for us. We understood what was being said. Can you imagine a time when it is a matter of pride to say "I am in recovery?" Not I am an alcoholic, addict...but in recovery. Which is kept secret. Yes you can share your status with friends and fellow addicts in meetings. Yes, you can tell anyone you choose, but face facts, there is shame in being an addict and sadly that shame follows into the hardest won achievement of our lives: recovery. The movie celebrates recovery and encourages us to leave the shame behind with the active addiction and instead celebrate our changes and accomplishment of recovering from near death at the hands of alcohol or other drugs.

This film gracefully and respectfully challenges the idea that to be part of the 12 step community you must hide the miracle of your longterm, successful recovery! Keep it safe for newcomers but once you are strong, share about recovery (not 12 step) and make our message loud enough to be a formidable constituency to the legislature and media. I want a recovery high school in my town! The film is a little long - maybe a little too much history and not enough information about actions to be taken now. About three quarters through the film there is a driving piece of music and rising set of inspirational images. I thought the film would climax in that emotional rise, but instead the music ended and I got more information. It could have ended there for me. I have sent many people to see it and I will definitely see it again.

Often in popular media the drug addict or the drunk is portrayed as a loser. Someone who is lacking the physical and emotional discipline to keep it together but the reality is that it is a disease. Modern science has confirmed this and is more a result of outside factors rather than having a weak moral compass. In the movie, the anonymous people are pointed out and the veil is lifted to examine the root cause of addition. It follows several case studies and examples from the perspective of the recovering addict. Television star Kirsten Johnston speaks to this and how she sought recovery after hitting rock bottom. She even shares how many told her that sharing that she is sober would hurt her career. The media loves covering a train wreck but are reluctant about those that are able to stay the course. A very powerful movie for a personal perspective of addiction.

The Anonymous People is an honest look at the reality of recovery through the actual lives of individuals in long term recovery. It is designed to celebrate recovery and recognize that many individuals in long term recovery are contributing members of our society. I was pleased that it did NOT glorify the addiction but rather Glorified the process of Recovery. The individuals who are shown in this film are honest, hard working individuals who have struggled through addiction and are now on the other side and reaching out to help others. This movie can begin the process of reducing stigma and overcoming some of the obstacles people face in achieving long term recovery. Congratulations and THANK YOU to all who were involved in this project.

I watched Anonymous People this past Tuesday a new documentary film by Executive Producers Paul McCulley and John Silverman at the very beautiful New York University Skirball Auditorium. As I sat in my plush and comfortable seat alongside my wife I couldn't help to think, I was watching a corporate film rather than a serious documentary on 12 step recovery in America. The central premise of this documentary Is a one note message, constructed to entice anyone who is a member of an anonymous 12 Step program, to break their anonymity and come out to the general public. Giving us the notion somehow, this will eliminate all stigmas and remove bureaucratic barriers that create impediments to addicts and alcoholics in their quest for sobriety. Director Greg D Williams has undertaken a subject matter that's never easy and always emotionally tricky to navigate through. Unfortunately and annoying to the viewer, Mr. Williams a first time director (no IMDb credits) has failed to present an accurate portrait of recovery in America. Rather he's led us to believe that NCADD short for National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence has discovered the magic pill to the problem. The irony is Mr. Williams has fallen in the trap of being self serving to his cause, and judgmental to the very organizations that are helping the very individuals his film is trying to help.. Anonymous People has many failures to communicate its main idea and instead it comes off as self serving, sarcastic and sometimes pedantic in its zeal to enlighten us . So much for humility dictating the conversation, Anonymous People continually fails to demonstrate how the effects of this mass outing will impact the long established recovery community. Given the success 12 Step programs have demonstrated dating back to the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935.It hard to imagine how successful the films proposals would be to the millions of suffering addicts and alcoholics worldwide. Anonymous People is as relentless in its tone and message as an addict on a mission to buy drugs and as flawed as the moral inventory of a recovering alcoholic. The film attacks 12 Step programs and their basic principles of anonymity through various interviews and lectures we are forced to endure, from self professed members in recovery to the so called addiction experts. To further drive it's painfully dull point home the film doesn't do itself any favors by labeling members of twelve step programs as "Brain Washed" and individuals "Hiding in basements."The producers of this fauxcumentary demonstrate an obvious agenda not to present a balanced message to the contrary they go out of their way not too. The theme music provides us with a sentimental muzak composed by Brendan Berry to further enhanced it's similarities to sitting in a dentist chair . It never broaches the subject of how their proposal may hurt long established organizations with proved track records. It doesn't touch on the possibility that relapse by their more famous advocates could hurt the person on the fence of entering a 12 step program. In the film actress Kirsten Johnson does extensive interviews and readings from her bio, and in true celebrity form, doesn't miss the opportunity to plug her new autobiography. This film doesn't disclose any of the reasons why anonymity is such a important component of12 Step Programs either from literature or recordings readily available to any researcher. These well known recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous have extensive writings on the subject of anonymity yet Director Williams does not explore nor reveals the 800 pound elephant in the room. It never bothers to explore the 12th Tradition from the aforementioned organizations that may explain why Anonymity is so crucial in their existence. Twelve Step programs have 12 traditions in place that guide their organizations and provide a moral compass to the groups that make up their organizations. Some of these include not engaging in any controversy or opposing any causes due to the nature of their Anonymity and absence of self promotion. One gets the impression that NCADD, who screened the film as well as being integral in its production is counting on exactly that passivity from all Anonymous organizations. Sitting through this promotional film in some ways reminded me of the industrial shorts some movie theaters use to play before a feature film would start. Mr. Williams has a definite calling in the 4am infomercial side of the entertainment business rather than serious documentary making. If you want to get a more complete picture of recovery and told in a balanced and comprehensive story try the 2012 award winning documentary Bill W.

This film is great. I mean it shows the real deal behind every addict. The fact that we are good people, suffering with a disease, not choosing to be addicted. I love that it focuses on the recovery piece instead of the disease piece! I would love to see more people come forward about their issues like these brave souls. Tell the world, show the world, how wonderful we can be and are in recovery. Almost everyone knows someone close to them that is affected by the disease of addiction and should have the opportunity to view this. My hope is that this will become a huge part of stigma reduction if we can just get people to take the time to watch it. This film focuses on all forms of recovery so there is no discrimination towards any one chosen path. This is going to be a crucial piece in the current recovery movement. I am proud to say I am I'm in recovery and so grateful that I had the opportunity to witness this masterpiece.

As a person in long term recovery myself, I appreciate that this movie made me think more intimately about the way that I choose to share or not share that information with others. It has long been obvious and frustrating to me how many people's lives are wasted because they cannot access adequate recovery from the disease of addiction. It did not previously occur to me that I could be influential in any way with regard to that problem. I am a teacher and generally hold my cards close. What would the community, parents, or my co-workers think if they knew this "dirty" secret from my past? On the other hand, I am proud of what I've accomplished. Maybe they would think that I am an amazing, talented, kind, generous,intelligent, responsible person, with integrity, who has overcome adversity, raised two children who have never had to witness parents using, who volunteers in the community, and contributes to society. Maybe others who are struggling might see that and get a glimmer of hope for themselves? I can appreciate the premise, and the hope, that if more people like me stood up and let the light shine on who we are, and how many we are, that it would no longer be a dirty little secret, but a proud accomplishment. We would not be seen as dirty, creepy, dangerous criminals, but people with a disease who are worthy and entitled to adequate health care & recovery. If it were not for seeing this movie, I probably would not have posted this in a public space. I am a person in long term recovery. For me that means that I have not had a drink or a drug since June 4, 1989. I write, I vote, and I make a positive difference in the world. Thank you to the producers of Anonymous People for reminding me that we are many, we are awesome, we are powerful, and we can change the world.

This movie talks about the one topic that has been in the dark for a long time. It gives the person that is just coming into recovery hope. I have used it so many times to give the newcomer hope. When I a person is confronted with the disease of addiction it is like any other disease. Denial sets in. While in the middle of getting help and dealing with the denial a movie like this will help them know that they are not alone and that recovery is possible. What is wrong with that. I would say it is a 12 step help movie. But it is not bound by the old misconceptions of a fellowship. I need to add there is nothing wrong with 12 step fellowships. But they needed help to get the message across. And this movie by Greg Williams is the best that I seen in a long time. Bravo to all that were involved.

There was so much misinformation and fact-tweaking in this film, I don't know where to begin. I have a real problem how AA was used to argue that addicts are shamed to hide in "church basements" or made to feel badly about their addiction. What? Is addiction something we should now be proud of? If addiction isn't something to feel bad about, then why they try to recover from it? If people want to change the attitude of the general public about addicts, then maybe we should start asking Hollywood to start making inspiring films about recovery instead of glamorizing drugs in films like Pulp Fiction. Maybe I heard wrong, but the film also states that people in AA feel that they are somehow forbidden to reveal their addition and recovery efforts. That is not true. Anyone in the program is perfectly free to share their addiction status with anyone. They cannot, however, reveal other addicts' identities to the public. I applaud any celebrity who comes forward to talk about addition and recovery, but don't start bullying others to do so. One doesn't want to tell his/her neighbor, or employer or insurance company that one is an addict, or even a recovering addict. In the film, it was stated that anyone interested in getting clean cannot do so any time or any day because there is no open clinic 24/7. Not true either. One can call anyone in an AA program 24/7 and receive support and help. The AA program is untainted by commercialism, bureaucracy, and political manipulation. No lobbyists can get their claws into the AA organization. That seemed to frustrate the people in this movie when they spoke of AA members as an unharnessed voting demographic. "Oh hi! Welcome to the neighborhood addiction recovery clinic. Just fill in these 25 forms so we can get you processed. Don't forget your SS number and insurance policy number. And while you are at it, why don't you register to vote? And while you are here, fill in this absentee ballot..." We don't need lobbyists soliciting big bucks for phony recovery programs. We don't need more government run clinics. We don't need any more phony politicians making any more phony speeches about their phony recoveries. Just leave AA alone let the volunteers continue to do the good work they have been doing in church basements as they have done for the past 70 years or so. Not being to regulate or capitalize on AA organization must really frustrate people who believe in government run social programs.

This movie needs to be seen by all those in recovery or who love someone in recovery. The truth of the film is this. We live in a nation that stigmatizes addiction as a problem of will power, a moral failing. Policies at the state and federal level reflect our collective disdain for the addict, preventing addicts and alcoholics from getting treatment they need, and criminalizing their behavior. The film points to strides made in the 60s and 70s to medically classify addiction being undermined by the war on drugs and slashing of mental health and addition treatment. It is true that a person needing access to help, long term help, is not able to find it quickly and the help they receive is not generally found to sustain long term recovery. As a recovered person, in long term recovery, I understand the need for sustained, continued treatment and support. The film does an excellent job of drawing out these shortcomings in our system and postulating that if recovered people come together, as an interest group, we will have more power to effect change within the system. We cannot continue incarcerating the problem away. We need to recognize addiction as an illness, and work to find a comprehensive cure.

As for the 12th tradition, the film points to our culture of anonymity as being a road block to collective action with the 12 step communities. It is successful in creating its argument and solidifying the need for collective action to help those still struggling or stuck in the revolving door of prison and drug abuse. It is up to recovered people to speak out because no one speaks for us. The film does not debase the great work of 12 step programs and the roll they play. It does not call on the GSO to throw our our traditions and become a lobbying organization. It asks individual recovered folks to take a second look at the service in their own program and ask, "can I do more?" For this recovered drunk I must say, "yes, I can". I am filled with gratitude that this lack of representation was brought to my attention and if I truly believe myself to be one with my fellows, then I must stand up for those who are disenfranchised, stuck and without help, and demand my government and society to recognize us as a block of people who deserve services and compassion just like any other person with a disease. I'm moved to action, and that was the basis of the film, much like the 12th step. My work is not yet done, my service to others can be taken to a state and national scale. Go see it!!!

Watched the movie last night. It was more an account of the desired change that two community members had, around the vision of getting better from being an addicted person. This movie was like "One Who Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" in the sense that the filmmaker, nor the community members seemed to have a clue as to what addictions actually entailed nor the effect of changing a world into what these two community members wanted it to be. The real story amongst the fragmented clips of so-called recovery resides in a husband and a wife, who both suffered from addictions and somehow found each other and formed a union out of a love connection. It was their love for each other that united them. Perhaps, creating a business plan and preaching about the recovery from addictions was a secondary goal but the primary goal was love and these two people finding each other in their own destiny. Sometimes filmmakers do not know their own true story and sometimes a story is not a story but rather a cover-up of the unconscious, only with careful analysis of the details can the viewer unravel the truth. The truth of this film is love not addictions, but good-old fashion love.

I am so happy to be a part of this movement! People in recovery deserve to be treated with respect this same way any other person with a disease is. Please go see it or become a team captain to get it to your town. I di, and we sold 176 seats! Everyone was fired up when the left and want to organize to help reduce the stigma. AWESOME!I bought the DVD of the movie and I am showing it to people who couldn't make it the night it played at the movies!As a result of this movie, people all over the Untited States are now organizing so our voices can be heard! Even Bill W. shared his story to help AA when he thought it was appropriate. Well, I think now it is more appropriate than ever! Go see the film!

As a person in long-term recovery (37 years), I found this film to be highly inspirational! "The Anonymous People" is a rich social document that presents a history of the struggle folks like I have had to dispel stigma and feelings of shame or embarrassment about being an alcoholic/addict. The film demonstrates that for those of us who do successfully recover ~ we can become beacons of light and hope to those who still suffer from this illness ~ including our loved-ones! This film is an important vehicle by which we can further educate policy-makers and the general public about the value of entering into and maintaining recovery. The film's Director, Greg Williams, is extremely knowledgeable and respectful of 12-Step principals. The position he takes on the issue of anonymity is supported by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. I urge all with a loved-one suffering from addiction, or themselves with a drinking/drug problem or in recovery, and their friends & neighbors to watch this inspiring historic documentary film.

Whether you are in recovery, love someone in recovery or are still struggling with addiction, you NEED to see this film. This film does an excellent job of explaining the history of the recovery advocacy movement, what has worked and what hasn't, where we stand today, and the changes that are so desperately needed. From the opening shot, I was glued to my seat and I found myself laughing and crying. The film is both interesting and thought provoking. I left the theater feeling invigorated and empowered to become a part of this very important Recovery Advocacy movement. A huge thank you to the film maker and every cast member for creating this life-changing film.

The time has come for this conversation to take place. I was fascinated by the history of this disease and the effect our government has had (or not) on this epidemic. It is beyond my comprehension that addiction has reached the level that we see today in our communities. My little county leads the state of Maryland in overdose deaths...higher than Baltimore city. Lack of treatment and little oversight in the medical field are to blame.

My husband is a person in long time recovery and for us that means that he has been drug and alcohol free for over 18 years. It also means that he has been a good husband, a wonderful father and a positive role model in our community. We need more people to come forward and show that in recovery all things are possible.

To the director of this empowering film....thank you! We needed this wake up call! We took all of the guys from our recovery house to see your movie and it changed the way they view themselves and gave them a new perspective on their recovery. We were all inspired by your message and will carry it with us!

As a mother of a daughter who is two years into long term recovery from prescription pills, I am thankful that Greg made this movie. It gives families hope that their child can have a productive life and career. It is as difficult to deal with the stigma attached to addiction as it was to recognize the problem and find treatment. My fear was that she had limited her possibilities for career and family but that is just not true. She is finishing a degree in Social Work and will start her Masters next summer. She studied abroad this summer in Gulu, Uganda and is helping to translate a publication for a major support organization into their language which has 20 million people who speak it.

Watching the movie showed me lots of others who have experienced happiness and productive lives. I only hope that the general public has a chance to view it. It is still difficult to deal with the reaction of friends who don't have a clue because so many have been silent about their recovery.

There was an added benefit to the movie in that it helped educate me on the history of addiction and recovery. I thought that I was aware because I have been developing a cell phone app for families of people seeking recovery but I learned about work being doing in recovery of which I was totally unaware. I also met Carol McDaid who was a heroin addict as a teenager but as a lobbyist in DC has instrumental in the passage and implementation of the parity legislation.

I highly recommend that everyone watch this film!

The Anonymous People is an outstanding documentary by a brilliant young film-maker, which comes at a time in the history of addiction treatment when a perfect storm (finally) is brewing. The more people in long-term recovery who are able to speak out, especially those in the public spotlight, the more positive change will come for those suffering from active addiction. A new and realistic balance between scientific and medical advances in treatment and the old-school approaches to sobriety must be found. As someone in long-term recovery, I know that AA has indeed helped millions and millions of people around the world to find sobriety. And will continue to do so. This film does not suggest otherwise. At the same time, we must recognize that while AA has been monumentally important, it statistically is no more successful than other approaches to abstinence. The fact remains that most who find long-term sobriety do so on their own. It is also vitally important that medical and pharmacological breakthroughs in addiction treatment be integrated into the mainstream and made more widely-available, and not undermined by the insurance industry, government, big pharma, and others, or scorned by some who believe "finding God" is the only way. While knowledge of a 12-step connection to spirituality surely has worked for many, it does not work for everyone. And to suggest to a newcomer in an AA meeting that it is not a "religious" program when the Big Book refers to "God" throughout is more than a bit difficult (and as any AA historian will tell you, Bill W. in fact wrote the original draft of the Big Book as a religious text, only to be persuaded to tone it down prior to publication). I, for one, have shed my cloak of anonymity. I am not proud of my addicted past, but I am proud of my recovery and what is has offered to me and those important to me. To those who would suggest this film is anti-AA, I would say I could not disagree more strongly. Hats off to Greg Williams! More please!

Greg Williams brings to light the hidden world of addicts, and sheds light on why it does not, and should not be that way. Far from attacking 12 step programs, the film raises the question of what anonymity means and how useful it is to helping addicts still suffering. (Bill W, a founder of AA, was an ardent and outspoken advocate on addiction issues, and readily put himself out there to help others). The film praises the 12 step movement as a powerful force for change for the addict. It also asks the question why should an addict be ashamed of their disease? Why would someone with cancer or AIDS feel shame? same for addiction. The film shows a new way to help addiction, by using a unified voice to create change in healthcare, government, attitudes and stigmas that cause so many to be anonymous, rather than heard to create better care for these sick individuals and their families.