Recovering folks issue calendar with their faces

For the 35 years that Jim Fischer was addicted to alcohol and drugs, he committed a handful of nonviolent crimes to pay for his addictions.

"My face has been out there for years … in front of judges," said the 53-year-old Mount Clemens resident, who was 15 when he began drinking and doing heroin and cocaine.

"Now, it's out in a positive light. I'm not that guy anymore.

"I'm not afraid to stand up."

Fischer, who has been in recovery for three years, is among a dozen local recovering substance abusers featured in a new calendar aimed at de-stigmatizing their struggle.

The grass-roots recovery advocacy group Greater Macomb Project Vox teamed up with St. Joseph's Healthcare to distribute the 5,000 or so free Faces of Recovery calendars to area businesses and treatment centers to help shed the stigma of addiction.

Read the full story in the Detroit News.