When I think about recovery, I hear the sound of a drum. The drum reminds us that our hearts still beat as one people. In our talking circles, stories are shared not just to teach but to heal. For tribal nations in North Carolina, survival itself is a story. We were among the first to face colonial contact. The fact that we are still here speaks to our resilience. But it also tells of the erasure of our traditional ways—languages, ceremonies, and ways of balance that colonization pushed underground.
Recovery in our communities today is about more than overcoming addiction. It is about reclaiming those ways of knowing. Singing, dancing, drumming, beading, smudging, talking circles, language revitalization, and land stewardship are not just cultural practices. They are medicines. Every time we use them in healing, we are not only walking a path of recovery—we are also breathing life back into our culture.
The Reality of Addiction in Tribal Communities
The numbers show what our families already feel. In 2024, Native people in North Carolina were 2.5 times more likely to die from an overdose than non-Native people. Statewide, men overdose at higher rates than women. But within our tribal communities, women share that same burden. Addiction is not limited by gender, and it touches every corner of our families.
Barriers make the journey even harder. Rural roads without transportation. Too few providers. But even fewer understand tribal life. And stigma that keeps people silent when they most need support. Too often, systems of care are built without us in mind—focusing on symptoms but not spirit, on treatment but not relationships.
Better Life Partners’ Commitment
This is where Better Life Partners makes a difference. Our organization came South—into what some call the “belt buckle of the Bible Belt”—with humility and with care. Instead of assuming it knows best, BLP listens. It is learning the rhythms of Southern culture, the values of faith communities, and the traditions of tribal nations.
Our harm reduction model is not about judgment—it is about meeting people where they are, honoring every step toward healing, and creating space for recovery that feels authentic. Through Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and wraparound supports, we deliver evidence-based care. But what makes this work powerful is how it blends with culture: respecting tribal sovereignty, honoring family voices, and making room for traditions that sustain people through struggle.
Cultural Safety and Indigenous Healing
In Indigenous communities, culturally safe care is not optional—it is the foundation. Cultural safety means people can show up fully as themselves, without fear of being dismissed or misunderstood. It means the drumbeat is as welcome as the doctor’s note, and the talking circle is recognized as medicine just as much as a prescription.
Our ways of healing are holistic. Talking circles foster accountability. Storytelling carries wisdom between generations. Ceremonies, songs, and dances restore balance to the spirit. Beading, smudging, and language root us in identity. Even tending the land is a form of healing, teaching us connection and reciprocity.
When these practices are woven into recovery, healing extends beyond the individual. It strengthens families, reconnects communities, and revitalizes culture. Recovery becomes a pathway to both wellness and cultural survival.
A Personal Reflection
For me, this work is not only professional—it is personal. It is about honoring where I come from, standing with my people, and helping to build a system of care that is rooted in dignity, culture, and hope.
This Recovery Month, Better Life Partners celebrates the courage of those in recovery and the cultural strengths that guide them. By carrying evidence-based care with humility, and by respecting the traditions of the communities we serve, BLP shows that recovery can be compassionate, culturally safe, and transformative.
Because when care is rooted in both science and tradition, it does more than treat addiction—it restores humanity. It restores balance. And it restores the culture that was meant to carry us all along.
Author bio
Tony V. Locklear is the North Carolina Partnership Manager for Better Life Partners and a proud member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. A PhD candidate in Public Health, Tony has over twenty years of experience in harm reduction and recovery advocacy. His work focuses on blending Indigenous ways of knowing with evidence-based practices to create culturally safe and responsive models of care.
