The Fix: A Powerful Reminder That Connection Heals.

At Recovery Revival™, our mission has always been rooted in compassion, understanding, and connection. We believe that recovery is not a linear journey or a rigid set of rules, it’s a deeply human process of rediscovering ourselves and reconnecting with others. Addiction, in many ways, is the opposite: it is disconnection in its most painful form.

This truth lies at the heart of Johann Hari’s work, and it’s brought to life beautifully in his thought provoking docuseries, The Fix. The film takes us on a global exploration of addiction, challenging everything we think we know about why people become addicted and what it truly means to recover.

Rediscovering Hope Through Recovery.

At Recovery Revival™, we’ve witnessed firsthand the impact addiction has on individuals, families, and communities. It can tear apart lives and leave people feeling isolated, misunderstood, and ashamed. But we’ve also seen the other side, the power of connection, compassion, and human resilience.

We believe recovery begins the moment a person feels seen. It begins with community, with safe spaces to share without judgment, and with the understanding that addiction is not a personal failure but a response to pain. Our passion for recovery is grounded in this belief: that everyone deserves the opportunity to heal, to rebuild, and to be supported along the way.

Our work exists to amplify that message through stories, education, and connection. That’s why we were deeply moved by Johann Hari’s exploration of addiction in The Fix. His message aligns so profoundly with what we stand for: that recovery is not about punishment or shame, but about compassion and belonging.

Johann Hari and a New Understanding of Addiction.

Johann Hari has long been one of the most important voices reshaping how we understand addiction. His best selling books including Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections explore the idea that addiction is not simply about chemical hooks or moral weakness, but about disconnection.

Hari’s research and storytelling challenge traditional narratives by urging us to look deeper. What if addiction is not the problem itself but a symptom of something larger, born from loneliness, trauma, disconnection, and unmet emotional needs?

His philosophy is best summed up in one of his most well known quotes:

“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.”

This idea reshapes everything. It moves the conversation away from blame and toward understanding. It reminds us that recovery happens when we reconnect with ourselves, with others, and with a sense of purpose.

Through The Fix, Hari continues this vital conversation. He takes us into the lives of people around the world who are confronting addiction in different ways, exploring not just the problem, but the solutions that are rooted in empathy, community, and meaningful change.

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The Fix.

The Fix isn’t just another documentary about addiction. It is a call to wake up, to rethink, and to feel. Based on Johann Hari’s groundbreaking book Chasing the Scream and narrated by the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson, this Roku Original eight part docuseries challenges the very foundation of how we view addiction, treatment, and recovery.

Through a powerful blend of storytelling, expert interviews, and real world examples, The Fix exposes the deep cracks in the systems built to solve addiction and invites us to imagine a better way. It asks the question at the heart of Hari’s work: What if everything we think we know about addiction is wrong?

Our modern understanding of addiction, as The Fix highlights, is largely built on a series of experiments from the early twentieth century. These studies placed isolated rats in empty cages with two water bottles: one plain and one laced with drugs. When the rats consistently chose the drug laced water and eventually overdosed, society drew a simple conclusion: exposure equals addiction. But as Hari explores, that conclusion was incomplete.

Decades later, psychologist Bruce Alexander recreated the experiment, but this time the rats were not alone. He placed them in what he called “Rat Park,” an enriched environment filled with toys, food, and other rats for company. In this connected and stimulating setting, the rats ignored the drug laced water almost entirely. The difference was not the drug. It was the disconnection.

Hari’s work builds on this idea, showing that addiction does not stem from chemical hooks alone but from isolation, trauma, and the absence of meaningful connection. The Fix carries that truth through every episode.

Rather than focusing solely on individuals battling substance use, the series widens the lens to explore the social, political, and emotional structures that shape addiction. It shows how disconnection, stigma, and punishment have fueled the crisis, and how empathy, understanding, and community led approaches could be the real keys to recovery.

Across eight episodes, The Fix journeys through evidence and lived experience, spotlighting countries that have dared to reimagine their approach. From Portugal’s decriminalisation model to Switzerland’s harm reduction programs, it demonstrates what happens when compassion replaces condemnation. When people are met not with judgment but with help, the results are striking: lives rebuilt, communities strengthened, and the possibility of hope where there was once only despair.

Cinematically, the series is as polished as it is poignant. Hari’s voice, both literal and literary, gives it warmth and authority, grounding complex research in humanity. Samuel L. Jackson’s narration adds gravitas, pacing each moment with depth and clarity. The result is a documentary that informs as much as it moves you, a work of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll.

What makes The Fix so deeply impactful is its refusal to dehumanise. It does not portray addiction as a flaw or a failure. It reveals it as a reflection of the world we have built, one that too often isolates instead of embraces. Hari’s insight echoes throughout: “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.”By the end, that quote feels less like a statement and more like a truth you can feel in your bones.

The Fix asks us to look inward, to question our assumptions, and to extend compassion, not just to those struggling, but to the systems that need healing too.

It is not an easy watch, but it is a necessary one.

A Call to Compassion and Action.

If you’ve ever loved someone battling addiction  or if you’ve walked that road yourself  'The Fix' will speak to your heart. It’s available to stream now via the following links.

We encourage you to watch it, reflect, and then take action. Share what you learned. Start a conversation. Reach out to someone who may need connection.

Recovery is not just about individual healing, it’s about collective change. It’s about creating a world where no one has to suffer in silence, where we replace judgment with empathy and isolation with belonging.

At Recovery Revival™, we believe in that world.

We believe in you.
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And we believe that together, we’re getting better together.

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