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FINDING HOPE WITHIN THE STORM
About Us
Director
Difference
Director
Brett Lyndon Meyer was adopted, lost his biological father to the needle, and is a recovering addict.
Despair
Difference
Director
More Americans died of overdoses in 2017 than were ever killed by guns, car crashes, or HIV/AIDS in a single year in the United States. The death toll is higher than all U.S. military casualties in the Vietnam and Iraq wars combined.
Difference
Difference
Difference
We are filming the struggle people endure when addiction goes untreated. Together, we can make a difference, even when an individual has only a tiny spark of hope left. This documentary is an effort to change hearts and minds and let the healing begin.
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Help Back The Film
Your support and tax deductible contributions through our Non Profit fiscal sponsor will enable us to get Needles in the Hay finished.
A NATION TO UNITE AND A CRISIS TO FIGHT
Opioid-involved overdose rates have nearly quadrupled in the past ten years from 21,089 in 2010 to 80,411 in 2021 (NIH, 2022). How many of these deaths could have been prevented if we had taken the time to really listen to and learn from each other?
The stories of a few can change the lives of thousands. Needles in the Hay is a documentary that provides a glimpse into the lives of the people and families deeply affected by America's opioid crisis. The mission of the film is to use the voices of a few to reach the hundreds of thousands with an Opioid Use Disorder who remain sick, without treatment, and need our compassion and help.
Needles in the Hay has joined the fight to end the crisis, behind the lens of a camera, to capture and share the stories of grief, joy, loss and gain, one life at a time.
Update: In a short period of time, this documentary has already made a profound impact for the active users who were brave enough to be interviewed on camera while in their addiction stage. We have received calls from several of these people weeks later, to thank us for filming their stories.. They said letting them speak on camera was an important moment for them, and now they want to speak out about being in recovery and living a clean life. This is the type of impact and change that IS possible and is something we hope to show on a much larger scale with a full feature film.
HELPING THOSE STILL STRUGGLING
What can we do to help active users? Often, the most overlooked opportunity is simply asking "What do you need?" In this film active users share their unique vantage point of what it means to be addicted.
We want more people struggling out there to be heard. It’s not always easy getting into facilities or rehabs centers. If those in active addiction are looking for and willing to get help, we'd like to be part of that. A portion of our funds raised will help us get people into treatment and we will follow them for the next year on their journey.
Needles in the Hay will explore four main topic areas:
1. POLITICAL STANDPOINTS AND INVOLVEMENT
2. GIVING A VOICE TO THOSE STILL STRUGGLING IN ACTIVE ADDICTION
3. THE TOLL ADDICTION TAKES TAKES ON FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES
4. THE POWER OF RECOVERY
SHARING STORIES TO BUILD AWARENESS
Every day, nearly 200 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), explains that the misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.
We believe it is important to give those who have died a voice through their loved ones who are left behind to grieve. You will hear stories of the impact this crisis has made on the husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and children left behind. We will continue to interview more families and allow many more to tell their stories. Building awareness through storytelling has been humanity's gift to future generations since the beginning of time.
This is a priceless gift, especially for the thousands of infants born already dependent on opioids. Every 15 minutes, in America, a baby is born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Foster care caseloads are incredibly high as a result. We can do a better job protecting and nurturing and healing these babies and their families.
Check out one child's story in this video by Needles in the Hay. He has weathered the heroin storm like a superhero and his innocence is heartwarming.