This story is a part of a project sharing the experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents who have made the choice, and are on the difficult journey of recovery. We celebrate their successes and hope their stories will encourage others to know that recovery is possible. If you would like to share your story, please contact us, or find out more about our project.
As mentioned in the video, a large part of Dirk’s success in recovery is due his involvement in suicide prevention. He has been able to use running as a tool to raise awareness and support for prevention programs. Please see more about his work at the following links:
Indian Country Today Media Network article
Aspen Institute, Center for Native American Youth article
All stories included in this project are told in the author’s own words, and where appropriate, identities have been removed for their security. Most stories in this project are from those who are still in adolescence, however, some may be from adults who began their recovery in adolescence.
The video was created by Jamie Thrams. Audio is from an interview with Dirk Whitebreast conducted on November 20th.
Stories of Recovery 