Recovery Rock Festivals Help Educate About Opioid Addiction

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Sept. 23, 2016 - PRLog -- By; Christopher Hollis – Opioids were involved in 28,647 deaths in 2014 and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 2000.

Significant increases in drug overdose death rates were seen in the Northeast, Midwest and South Census Regions. In 2014, the five states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose were West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio. States with statistically significant increases in the rate from 2013 to 2014 included Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

It's time to bring education and awareness to the current Opioid/Heroin Epidemic and Rockers In Recovery®(RIR) has planned six events for 2017 to do just that. This epidemic is devastating the United States as a whole, with hundreds of deaths a day nationwide currently. Here are some of the community meet and greets and festivals scheduled so far;


• 6th Annual Fl. Love of Recovery Free Music Festival – 02/11/17 Pembroke Pines, Florida

• 1st Annual Pa. – Love of Recovery Free Music Festival 09/08/17 – 09/09/17 Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania

• 2nd Annual Me. – Love Of Recovery Free Music Festival 09/29/17 – 09/30/17 Walpole, Maine

* Each Festival has an additional event the night before called - "Free Community Addiction Educational Meet and Greet." See More @ http://www.rockersinrecovery.com/

RIR is not a treatment center – Since it launched in 2008, Rockers in Recovery®, a for-profit media and production company, has attracted tens of thousands to its music festivals and reached millions more through its online reach. The message the organization is spreading through rock 'n' roll: there is hope, addiction recovery is possible.

Since the start of their music festivals in February of 2011, attendees can go right to the recovery information tent manned all day with addiction professionals to help everyone. Each RIR Festival has bands and solo acts along with a list of 10-minute addiction professional speakers in between bands. RIR is educating while having fun in a fun, loving environment. Festival goers also Enjoy Music, Recovery Speakers, Arts and Crafts Exhibitors , Food Vendors, Recovery Merchandise, Addiction Education, Evidenced Based Treatment Options , and Veteran P.T.S.D./Addiction education Information.

It's Amazing, and they are so proud to see how since 2011 and twenty five of their own productions, the Rockers In Recovery® (RIR) concept of recovery concerts/festivals to carrying a message of Education & Awareness is working.

"The RIR message is now being duplicated by many in the addiction recovery advocacy movement groups like the October, 2015 Washington DC Unite to Face Addiction Rally (with Joe Walsh and other well know musicians) , the 2014 Fed Up Rally, and the 2016 SAMHSA's National Prevention Week and North Carolina's Recovery Rock Fest. It's happening all over the United States. Since 2014 many treatment programs and oragnazations like Recovering Artists Worldwide have even adopted as a modality in the form of RIR Unplugged, with some using the concept as primary treatment.  What an honor and we look forward to seeing many more use our unique form of addiction prevention and education". Says John Hollis, RIR Co- Founder.

Members: The Rockers In Recovery® All-Star Band History ---- The Rockers In Recovery® musicians whom gave of their time freely to support the recovery lifestyle, (RIR) special guest past and current rockers; Paul Wilson of Sobriety Unplugged, George Massengill on Keys (Chillbillies), Andy(Babe)Pace(Gary US Bonds), Basil Bankston bringing the Vocals (The Platters), Tony Fellows on Lead Guitar (RIR All Star Band Member), Davis Mitchell on Guitar (Chillbillies), Daniel Holt on Bass (Johnny B. and The Road Dogs), Peter Keys(Lynyrd Skynyrd), Don Tyler(Lynyrd Skynyrd), Drew Preston(Drew Preston Project), Lou Esposito (The Capri's), Simon Kirke (Bad Co.), Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople), Michael Des Barres, Marge Raymond (ELO),LaLa Brooks (The Crystals), Gene Cornish (The Rascals), Peppy Castro (Blue Magoo's), David Uosikkinen (The Hooters), Vic Monte (Crush), Ed Walsh (Grateful Road), Michael Mostel(RIR Unplugged), Chris Waddell (RIR Unplugged), Bruce Duncan(RIR Unplugged), Stacey Hampton( RIR Unplugged), Maria Doty(Double Standard), Ceefor Ebrahimi (Ceefor Band), and Tommy Conwell of the Young Rumblers.

RIR All-Star Band Members who have been paid per musical performances include; Lou Esposito(The Capri's), Jeff Gantz (Johnny Winter), Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts), Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Richie Supa (Aerosmith), Kasim Sulton (Blue Oyster Cult and Todd Rundgren), Christine Ohlman (Saturday Night Live Band), and Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge), Marge Raymond (singer/songwriter/actress), Jeff Kazee (Southside Johnny, Bon Jovi), along with his band mates Chris Anderson, Neal Pawley and Muddy Shews.

ALL FESTIVALS AND EVENTS ARE PAID FOR AND PRODUCED BY  Rockers In Recovery Radio and Productions Inc. and our Special Event Partners. Rockers In Recovery offers different social media platforms to carry the message of hope in an exciting new way. This makes it easy to reach hundreds of thousands of people globally with just a click of a mouse. Through their partnerships they can provide free community education and information on help for addiction.