Photographer covers addiction, recovery in Ross County community

CHILLICOTHE — While living in the Philippines for three and a half years, photographer and independent filmmaker Eli Hiller documented harm reduction efforts in the midst of extrajudicial killings of drug users.

When he returned in May 2020, he wanted to take that experience and apply it to small-town Ohio. 

"I really realized there was a lot of isolation, the emotional and mental toll of the pandemic was ongoing for everybody. But I was kind of curious how the vulnerable communities were being impacted," he said.

Hiller said he was in Circleville while doing research and was told that Ross County had a strong community of people pursuing harm reduction, a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. 

In December, Hiller embarked on a more than seven-month long, yet-to-be-completed project to show the struggles of addiction and recovery in Chillicothe, narrowing the frame to a small community from the original vision of covering multiple cities across Ohio. 

Early on in the project, Hiller decided that he did not wish to show images of active drug use. 

"They are a bit of a visual cliche in the photojournalism industry, so I’m avoiding them to not further dehumanize and criminalize these vulnerable populations," Hiller said. 

Instead, he chose to focus on emotional themes of isolation, loneliness, sacrifice, regret — as well as companionship, care, empathy and community.

Through the Recovery Center, the Athens-based photographer started to build relationships with people in the community. 

"They started to introduce me to a lot of their clients who were coming in for meals, and I slowly started talking to people outside, followed them back to their encampments, and then built up those relationships over a number of months," he said. 

Hiller said he was impressed by how strong the support systems were in Ross County. "They're really changing the narrative of what recovery looks like," said Hiller, noting that recovery was not necessarily always a clean, straight line.

"For them, as long as they can stop overdoses, and extend people's lives, that's doing more than nothing. And that's really important, I think." 

The photo essay, meant to accompany a written article by a friend of Hiller's, will likely be wrapped this month, said Hiller. The pair are still pitching the article, although the photographer stated that Buzzfeed has expressed interest in the project. 

Christina Arredondo, Director of the Ross County Outreach and Recovery center, gave a tentative nod of approval, as anyone who comes into the recovery center is told they have to be respectful and told that if they talk to anyone or take photos, it has to be ok'd with the person that they are working with. 

"He appeared to want to create relationships and really get to know people and their stories," said Arredondo. 

While in the Philippines, Hiller worked with Filipino HIV advocate Paji Angeles Jr to create "Kemikal Romance," a film about 'the unseen victims of HIV and the drug war" in a country where LGBTQ activity is highly stigmatized. 

Currently, he is working on a project covering his half-siblings across the country and the search to find his father, as he and his half-siblings were born through a donor. 

Questions, comments or story tips? Contact Justin at Jreutterma@gannett.com. 

Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.