Central Pa. residents star in Prime video documentary about recovery
A new film on Amazon Prime Video features several Central Pennsylvania men who have overcome addiction sharing their stories.
Filmed in Lancaster, "Night of Recovery: Live from the Moravian Center," a two-hour documentary features Chris Dreisbach, CEO of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery and social media personality, alongside WWE alumni Jesus "Ricardo" Rodriguez, Curtis "Dirty Dango" Hussey, and Shannon Moore.
This audience included members of the local recovery community and included a blend of personal narratives and uplifting messages.
"While the addiction crisis continues to ravage communities across our nation, we continue to be excited to bring inspirational and hope-filled content to viewers across America and beyond," said Dreisbach.
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A 'tremendous' feeling to impact communities
Growing up in Allentown, Dreisbach was 17 years old when he first became involved with substance abuse, which included alcohol, pharmaceuticals and eventually heroin.
At 18 years old, after committing burglary to feed his heroin addiction, he was sent to prison. For the next few years, Dreisbach would be in and out of prison until finally being sent to Bowling Green Brandywine, a rehab treatment center in Kennett Square in 2007.
From there, he was sent to The Gatehouse, a halfway house in Lititz. At the age of 21, he began to rebuild his life.
In dire need of work, and determined to avoid returning to prison, he flipped through a phone book, reaching out to numerous businesses. He finally was able to reach the manager of the Lyndon Diner.
After exchanging a few words, she agreed to hire him. Unable to afford a proper uniform at the time, and with the only clothes he owned being the shirt and pants he had on his back, she gave him a loan to buy the necessary clothing, and he started working.
In 2010, he went back to the rehab he lived at and looked for opportunities to help the sober community before starting Blueprints for Addiction Recovery in 2018, which operates treatment facilities in Lancaster and York County.
Now, he speaks at events and tells his story across the country, sharing his experiences and hoping to create a lasting impact on others.
"It feels tremendous to be able to impact so many different individuals and communities, and it's an honor to be able to share my experience from being in jail, having parole officers to being a family man, a father, a businessman."
Dreisbach said he's living on borrowed time. After being caught in a cycle of prison and failure, he has been able to find hope and strives to wake up every day with a positive outlook and show others that turning your life around is possible.
"Recovery is not just about overcoming challenges; it's about sharing our stories to inspire others. (The documentary) captures the essence of hope, resilience, and the transformative power of storytelling."
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Central Pennsylvania residents star in Prime documentary on recovery
