Review of The Anonymous People (2013) by Becca B — 01 Jul 2014

This film sets out to find the answer to one very fundamental question: "Why don't we treat addiction in this country like any other health issue?" The Anonymous People questions why the United States has criminalized and too often given superficial treatment to the disease of addiction, resulting in an annual price tag of $350 billion.

In America, most of the burden of long-term addiction treatment is placed on anonymous, free 12-step programs. Those programs have done a good job, but no other health problem is treated this way. As a person in long-term recovery, I appreciated the comprehensive coverage of a complex issue and the film's call to join the recovery advocacy movement.