This piece is close-up portrait of a community that most people and frankly, most news organizations would rather not look at, much less empathize with. We focus on Dimitri, a former heroin addict who was cured by controversial substance called Ibogaine. It's a drug that promises to take away intense cravings for heroin and also suppresses the withdrawal symptoms. It's Illegal in the U.S., so Dimitri has become a part of the "Ibogaine Underground," a group of people, with little to no medical training, trying help their fellow junkies. Dimitri isn't a doctor, but he plays one at the Holiday Inn.
Gold Medalist in the 2007 New York Festivals Awards for Best Human Interest Story.
Originally aired on "This American Life" on December 1, 2006.
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Piece Description
This piece is close-up portrait of a community that most people and frankly, most news organizations would rather not look at, much less empathize with. We focus on Dimitri, a former heroin addict who was cured by controversial substance called Ibogaine. It's a drug that promises to take away intense cravings for heroin and also suppresses the withdrawal symptoms. It's Illegal in the U.S., so Dimitri has become a part of the "Ibogaine Underground," a group of people, with little to no medical training, trying help their fellow junkies. Dimitri isn't a doctor, but he plays one at the Holiday Inn. Gold Medalist in the 2007 New York Festivals Awards for Best Human Interest Story. Originally aired on "This American Life" on December 1, 2006.
2 Comments
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Review of I'm Not a Doctor, but I Play One at the Holiday InnA fascinating piece which combines investigative journalism with personal storytelling. We are guided through the controversial treatment of heroin addicts with an illegal (in the US) drug by Dimitri, a surprisingly engaging ex-addict with heart, humor and the dedicated commitment of a true believer. At first I thought there might be a bit too much narration. But Lu's script and delvery turns out to be just what the doctor ordered to tell this unusual tale. We get the prescibed amount of medical and legal information as well as the right dose of suspense to keep us hooked to the very end. Perfect for September - National Drug & Alcohol Recovery Month (who knew?) - but such an excellent story really needs no peg at all! |
Broadcast History
Originally aired on "This American Life" on December 1, 2006.
Transcript
Narration: At his worst... Dimitri was living in his parent's basement in Detroit. He'd been using heroin for 27 years. His wife had died, many of his friends had died, and he was edging toward 40. That was when that it finally hit him that it was time to do something... and the something he ended up doing was Ibogaine. In 2002 Dimitri went to Amsterdam for an experimental Ibogaine treatment. It was given to him by a woman who cared for drug users out of her thatched roof farmhouse - surrounded by her five kids. Thirty hours after taking the drug, Dimitri was cured of his heroin addiction. Literally cured of his 27 year-old habit. He remembers waking up at the crack of dawn three days later... and experiencing a sensation that he hadn't felt in years: joy.
Dimitri: I've never felt that good in my life and I was sitting in that place and I didn't need heroin - I was completely exhaus...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
15:30 with one minute of add'l music to trail out
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Creighton King
Posted on June 17, 2007 at 08:23 AM | Permalink
Review of I'm Not a Doctor, but I Play One at the Holiday Inn
In 35 hours of taping conversations with Dimitri, Lu Olkowski never hears him speak ill of the addicts he's trying to help. It's a phenomenal piece of editing and narration, which not only distills 35 hours into 16 minutes, but does it in unfalteringly clear tones. This story has a quality that brings compassion for addicts right down to its aching roots, and Dimitri, a wounded healer himself, is its heart. It's a profoundly spiritual story, probably because it's not trying to be.