HBO and MOAR (Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery) Host Boston Premiere on February 26 of the HBO documentary ADDICTION

HBO and MOAR (Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery) Host Boston Premiere on February 26 of the HBO documentary ADDICTION

WHO: HBO and MOAR will host a premiere screening of the centerpiece film
of the new HBO documentary series entitled, ADDICTION. The series is
part of a multi-platform media campaign that HBO and its partners --
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism (NIAAA) -- have planned to help Americans understand
addiction as a treatable brain disease, as well as spotlighting new
medical advancements. Following the screening, a panel comprised of
local experts and leading constituency groups will use the major
themes of the documentary to focus on the issue of addiction and
recovery in Massachusetts. Attendees will include the MA
legislature, treatment advocates, and the general public.

Special Commentators:
Secretary Judyann Bigby, MD, Executive Office of Health & Human
Services
Sen. Gale Candaras, Chair, Joint Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Committee
Sen. Steven Tolman, Chair, Senate Committee on Ethics & Rules
Rep. Ruth B. Balser, Chair, Joint Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Committee
Kattie Portis, Mayor Thomas Menino's Substance Abuse Policy Advisor
John Auerbach, Executive Director, Boston Public Health Commission

Panel Discussion:
Moderator: David Rosenbloom, Ph.D., Director, Join Together
(featured in the documentary)
Edward Bernstein, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston
University Medical Center;
Michael Botticelli, Asst. Commissioner, Substance Abuse Services,
MA Department of Public Health;
Lt. William J. Ostiguy, BFD/Local 718 EAP Coordinator, CEAP, and
MOAR member;
Joanne Peterson, Learn to Cope Parent Support Group Founder, MOAR
Member.

WHAT: One in four Americans has a family member who is struggling with
addiction. In 2005, there were 23.2 million Americans who needed
treatment for their illicit drug or alcohol abuse problems, yet only
about 10% received the treatment they needed. The feature length
documentary film ADDICTION, the centerpiece of the groundbreaking
14-part series debuts Thursday, March 15 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT) on
HBO. The 13 short supplementary films debut on HBO2 beginning
Friday, March 16 and provide an in-depth look unto the complex
dimension of addiction, treatment and recovery. One of these 13
short films, SOUTH BOSTON DRUG COURT, is a profile of a drug court
in South Boston, Massachusetts that shows how the criminal justice
system supervises long-term treatment for drug court clients.

The ADDICTION project will be supported by an unprecedented 30-city
nationwide community outreach campaign funded by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation and coordinated by Join Together, Faces and
Voices of Recovery, and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of
America (CADCA). The campaign will include town hall meetings,
house parties, briefings and other community-wide events in cities
across the country. An interactive Addiction: Communities Take
Action website, www.AddictionAction.org, will arm communities with
tools, including a viewer's guide, to support their efforts. The
State House event will serve as the kick off for a local
Massachusetts education and outreach campaign.

WHERE: Massachusetts State House - Boston

WHEN: Monday, February 26, 2007
5:00pm: Reception -- Great Hall
6:00pm: Screening/Discussion -- Gardner Auditorium

Media
RSVP: Suzanne Pinto of HBO, +1-212-512-1904, or Suzanne.Pinto@hbo.com

SOURCE HBO

PRNewswire -- Feb. 21

Web site: http://www.hbo.com/
http://www.addictionaction.org/

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