Uprooting Addiction takes an urgent look at the national drug addiction crisis that continues to ravage local communities across the U.S., including the director’s own in Northwest Connecticut. At an innovative retreat organized by addiction and trauma counselor Hope Payson, six people from varying walks of life – each affected by childhood trauma – come together to share their stories, emerging from darkness through community, connection, and compassion.

Rob is a successful businessman who became addicted to opiates after back surgery. Ryan grew up in chaos, with a mother who struggled with her own addiction and an absent father. Kaytlin lost her brother who suffered from mental illness to an overdose – before falling victim to heroin addiction herself. Daryl, a man who was incarcerated for a decade, following a long history of drug addiction, missed his daughter’s childhood when in prison. Chuck is a former high school wrestling coach who awoke to his addiction upon being recognized by a former student while shooting up in a dope house. Kelvin spun out of control at a community picnic while high on drugs, coming to grips with his addiction when he saw himself through his daughter’s eyes.

Through the metaphor of a tree bearing a network of roots, Payson helps each attendee recognize the foundation of their trauma – abandonment, learning differences, sexual molestation, violence – and how it manifests and permeates through life, opening the door to fundamental healing.

Interweaving these stories with uplifting, up-to-the-minute accounts of collective action in the face of an unrelenting public health crisis – from an equally diverse group of activists, officials, volunteers, and experts including Dr. Gabor Maté – Uprooting Addiction is a mosaic-like portrait of a single community coming together to take on one of the most critical challenges of our time.

Directed by Tory Estern Jadow; Produced by Hope Payson; Executive Producer Edie Dao Schechter