Sep 22, 2017
Dear Hossein,
Thank you for the many vivid images from the summer camping experience. What a beautiful setting. I loved the photo with all the tents and the trees and mountains in the background.
Recovery from the hurricane is proceeding in Florida. Power has been restored to most areas, but there are still people living in shelters due to damage to their homes. These events seem to be getting so extreme. My heart aches for the latest images coming from the hurricane devastation in Puerto Rica and from the earthquake aftermath in Mexico.
My congratulations to those who reached the point of smoking cessation this past week. The breath of recovery should not be filled with smoke.
I think the tree planting and watering are beautiful metaphors of what recovery gives back to the world. These acts stand as a wonderful way people in recovery can make amends for any past harms to the community and offer their services toward creating a better world.
I am delighted that you are willing to work with me on another interview. We can include in the interview your responses to question I have sent along in earlier emails and as soon as I am caught up from tasks neglected during the hurricane evacuation I will prepare additional questions for you. I will blend your responses into a written interview as we have done before and send you a draft for you to edit as you wish. Give me a few weeks to prepare locate this past material and to prepare the next set of questions. I think this latest interview will be one more may we can shine a beacon of light into the darkness that so permeates addiction.
And let me say again, how much I appreciate your best wishes during this natural disaster we have faced and how sweet it was to hear from members of Congress 60 here in the U.S. (Nader and Shahpoor) who were concerned about my safety.
The e-book version of the stories from my life in recovery (Recovery Rising: A Retrospective of Addiction Treatment and Recovery Advocacy) has now been published and Rita is working on the final details of getting the paperback version published. We decided to publish his one ourselves through the large book publisher/seller Amazon so that we can divert a greater portion of the proceeds of the book to grassroots recovery community organizations. I will let you know when the paperback version is published and send you a story included in the book of our work together.
Friends and Brothers Forever,
Bill