Maryland Public Television will premiere the hour-long documentary Real Stories of Addiction and Hope on September 22, 2025, at 9 p.m. on MPT channels and its livestream. The program coincides with National Recovery Month in September, an annual observance since 1989 that promotes awareness of mental health and substance use disorder recovery.
A concurrent one-hour livestream on MPT’s YouTube channel will allow viewers to watch the full documentary and participate in a live Q&A with Daniel Jarvis, director of special projects at Behavioral Health System Baltimore. Jarvis, with over 25 years in substance abuse services, homelessness support, permanent housing, and criminal justice, connects individuals to recovery resources.
The co-production between Obie Productions and MPT follows the journeys of 11 individuals through addiction’s challenges and their paths to recovery. It portrays how substances overtook their lives and family priorities, yet they rebuilt through ongoing support. Recovery emerges as a lifelong process without an endpoint. Featured stories include Desiree, who started using drugs as a teenager to cope with trauma after witnessing her father snort ground-up pills at age 12. Joe, diagnosed with mental illness as a child and incarcerated at 13, said drugs helped him “feel something I otherwise could not.”
LaTonya endured childhood abuse, began drinking and smoking with her mother, and later encountered crack cocaine. Wayne viewed jail as a means to maintain sobriety from heroin, noting the discomfort of confronting his true self amid addiction’s control. The documentary supplements these accounts with clinical perspectives on substance abuse, addiction mechanics, and recovery strategies.
Maryland faces a persistent opioid crisis, with all 24 jurisdictions reporting related intoxication fatalities in the past year and nonfatal overdose emergency department visits on the rise. A yearlong investigation by The Baltimore Banner and The New York Times documented Baltimore’s overdose deaths surpassing those from motor vehicle accidents and firearms. Statewide, overdoses claimed more than 2,000 lives from July 2023 to June 2024.
In Southern Maryland, the impact varies by county. St. Mary’s County averaged 32 opioid overdose deaths annually from 2017 to 2021, marking a 12.12 percent increase over that period. Calvert County recorded a 56 percent reduction in overdose deaths from July 2024 to June 2025, attributed largely to increased Narcan distribution and naloxone access, though total overdose encounters reached 1,360 during that time. Charles County participates in broader regional efforts, with community health assessments highlighting substance use as a priority alongside access to treatment services. Southern Maryland saw 93 opioid-related deaths in 2020 alone, underscoring the need for localized prevention and recovery programs.
The documentary’s release aligns with National Recovery Month initiatives across Maryland, where organizations like the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling and state health departments emphasize disseminating recovery information. MPT, serving viewers in Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties through its broadcast signal, makes the program accessible via cable providers like Xfinity and over-the-air antennas in areas such as Waldorf and Prince Frederick. The YouTube livestream extends reach to mobile devices common in Southern Maryland’s rural and suburban households.
Behavioral Health System Baltimore, a production partner, coordinates care for Baltimore City and County residents but informs statewide models for recovery support. Jarvis’s Q&A will address resource navigation, including Maryland’s 24/7 crisis hotline for substance use disorder assistance. Locally, Southern Maryland residents can access similar services through the Calvert County Health Department in Prince Frederick, which offers opioid response coordination, or Charles County’s Opioid Abuse and Overdose Prevention program, focusing on education and naloxone distribution. St. Mary’s County maintains a dedicated behavioral health team for referrals to inpatient and outpatient treatment.
Major underwriting came from Michael Silberman and Family, with production cooperation from Behavioral Health System Baltimore. A preview teaser is available online. More details, including broadcast schedules and related resources, appear at mpt.org/addiction/.
National Recovery Month, observed through events like veteran stories shared by the VA Maryland Health Care System, highlights personal transformations via treatment. In Maryland, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2025 toolkit encourages community involvement in recovery promotion, aligning with MPT’s effort to foster dialogue on addiction’s realities. The documentary provides an educational lens for Southern Maryland audiences, where proximity to Baltimore’s crisis influences regional awareness. Viewers in the tri-county area, served by MPT since its 1969 founding as Maryland’s public broadcaster, can tune in to explore these narratives and clinical insights, contributing to ongoing conversations about support systems.
The program underscores recovery’s accessibility through shared experiences and expert guidance, available free to MPT’s statewide audience. For those seeking help, Maryland’s behavioral health resources remain integral to addressing the opioid challenges documented in recent years.