We partner with The 13th Step podcast to expose a troubling culture in some recovery communities.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024

Hello! In this issue:
* People struggling with addiction look to treatment centers for help – and some encounter sexual misconduct by employees.
* Coal is still growing in Montana, but it’s not without opposition.
* It's official: we've joined forces with Mother Jones.


** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** The 13th Step
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The Green Mountain Treatment Center in Effingham, N.H., is Granite Recovery Centers' flagship facility. Credit: Allegra Boverman for New Hampshire Public Radio

The problem is so pervasive in the addiction treatment industry that it has a name: the 13th Step.

Someone joins a recovery community, often built on a 12-step process, looking for help and support. They find themselves facing sexual harassment or even assault from someone much further along in their recovery, preying on more vulnerable newcomers.

This week on Reveal ([link removed]) , Lauren Chooljian from New Hampshire Public Radio takes us inside a widespread culture of sexual misconduct in the addiction treatment industry. Chooljian’s investigation focused on Eric Spofford, the founder and former CEO of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network. After exposing allegations that Spofford was harassing clients and employees, Chooljian, her sources and staff at NHPR became the targets of intimidation and, in some cases, vandalism.

Chooljian also chronicled a case in California that illustrates how difficult it is to bring to justice wealthy, powerful people in the industry. We meet two women who were separately investigating allegations that Chris Bathum, owner of a network of treatment centers in California and Colorado, was routinely sexually assaulting clients, offering them drugs and submitting false billing claims to insurance companies. Serendipitously, they learn of each other’s efforts and team up to try to bring Bathum to justice.
Listen to the episode ([link removed])
🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , Google Podcasts ([link removed]) or wherever you get your podcasts.


** A Quote to Remember
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“How much does wind cost for fuel? Nothing. How much does solar cost for fuel? Nothing. Coal is not cheaper.”

Anne Hedges is co-director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, which advocates phasing out coal in the state. She acknowledges that coal proponents are right to worry about losing high-paying jobs, but says the climate reality outweighs the argument – and that switching to renewable energy will dramatically lower costs.
Listen: The Battle for Clean Energy in Coal Country ([link removed])


** In Case You Missed It
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🎧 Sunblocked: Resistance to Solar in Farm Country ([link removed])

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🎧 Black in the Sunshine State ([link removed])


** Ending on a Good Note
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🎉 This week, we made it official: we have merged forces with Mother Jones ([link removed]) to build one strong, independent nonprofit newsroom. Read more about it here ([link removed]) .
This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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