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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland physics professor says Greek debt deal unsustainable ... Triple-digit days, hot nights in the forecast ... Ticket Availability ... Ashland physics professor says Greek debt deal unsustainable ... Triple-digit days, hot nights in the forecast ... Ticket Availability ... ROGUES: TALES FROM THE VALLEY Episode 2.11: Talking addiction in Lithia Park Comment By Lyda Woods DailyTidings.com By Lyda Woods Posted May. 11, 2015 at 8:13 PM Updated May 26, 2015 at 12:47 PM By Lyda Woods Posted May. 11, 2015 at 8:13 PM Updated May 26, 2015 at 12:47 PM » Social News Episode 2.11 of the fictionalized adventures of two sisters, Dawn and Sherry, one Ashland-loving, the other Medford-bred, and their adventures across the Rogue Valley. Find prior episodes at www.dailytidings.com. Today, I was interviewing another filmmaker friend of Jeremy Tanner, the long-missing documentarian. We had an appointment 2 p.m. on Sunday in Lithia Park. Apparently Huck was filming at a picnic table near the Upper Duck Pond under some Pacific Madrones. As I walked through the park, with the sunlight filtering through birch, maple, spruce and a monkey puzzle tree, my heart lifted. My feet crunched the pine needles; the air smelled sweet and green. I enjoyed the silkiness of the rhododendron blossoms and the wind rustling through the branches. I wondered why he chose Lithia Park for his interviews. I knew he was exploring addiction and recovery, but that was about it. As I arrived at the outdoor set, someone pointed me toward Huck, a tall man in his 40s talking with a boom operator. Huck reminded me of my brother Josh, except that his arms were covered with tattoos. I walked up to him. “Hello, I’m Dawn Sequoia, here to talk with you about Jeremy Tanner,” I said, shaking his hand. “Hello, I’m Huck Stone. We’re just finishing up. If you can wait a minute while we tape this last section that would be great.” “Sure, I’m fascinated by the topic anyway.” “Many people are.” He smiled, looked at his clipboard and walked away. Huck returned to a man sitting at the picnic table, and with the boom operator in place, they began taping. It wasn’t exactly quiet. Birds twittered and something ran through the bushes but they didn’t seem to mind. The man on camera introduced himself as an addiction counselor and then began. “Did you know that in the US, there are 14 million alcoholics, 2 million coke snorters, 1 million heroin junkies, 1 million meth tweakers, 40 million cigarette smokers, and 8 million that hunger to gamble. That’s about one in 12 people. No wonder we are all touched by addiction.” “Humans are hardwired to lust after substances that make us feel good, that unhook our better sense. Nature whispers to us in her husk-to-honey voice, more, more, more.” “I look at my dogs and see that they would eat themselves to death if they could. They don’t have an off switch. But we have off switches. We have them in our civilized, fragile new brain, however, not in our scaly, stubborn old brain.” “Addicts talk about being divided into two selves. A gambler tells us he watches himself, as if from a distance, at the blackjack table, placing bet after bet, knowing that he’s nailed to that chair until he has no more money. Another speaks of dreams where the good parts of herself are trapped in a house on stilts above a scissoring ocean, the ocean of her addiction.” “Cut. Let’s stop there.” Huck got up from his chair and came over to me. “Wow. Please let me know where I can watch this film when it’s done,” I said. “Of course. Here, just check the website.” He handed me a business card. “Why Lithia Park?” I asked. “What?” “Why did you choose to film here?” I asked. “The madrones have always moved me with their curling bark. Somehow it reminds me of battling addiction. The process of recovery, especially the early stages, is like having your skin peeled back. Addicts are trying to find other ways to deal with emotional pain than by numbing it.” “Interesting. Can I buy you a cup of slightly-addictive coffee at the Black Sheep?” “That sounds great. I’ll meet you there is 30 minutes, okay?” Huck got up and gestured at someone on his crew. “I’ll be there.” Next week: Dawn goes to work at the pawn shop. By Lyda Woods DailyTidings.com By Lyda Woods Posted May. 11, 2015 at 8:13 PM Updated May 26, 2015 at 12:47 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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