Creative communities, on one hand, offer spaces for connection, self-expression, and profound meaning-making – all awesome things.

But on the other, particularly in scenes built around music and nightlife, they can become entwined with cultures of substance use, creating environments that are difficult, even dangerous, for those navigating addiction or seeking recovery.

So how do you build support within those communities? How can the very tools of culture – the music, the art, the shared experience – become instruments of healing and connection for those who need it most? And can you create spaces that are genuinely welcoming, that meet people where they are, without demanding they leave behind what shapes their identities?

On your Daily Detroit for Wednesday, April 9th, 2025…. My guests today are wrestling with these questions, not in theory, but through practice, on the ground in Hamtramck, Michigan – a dense, diverse city within Metro Detroit known for decades as a center of music and culture. 

Joining me are Christopher Tait, the founder and director of Passenger Recovery and a longtime musician, and Joshua Lange, the station manager for their community radio station, WHCK, have built something unique. Passenger Recovery started by supporting musicians trying to stay sober but has grown into a broader community recovery organization that uses music and the arts as pathways to support.

Their radio station is, in many ways, an audible extension of that mission – creating community, reducing stigma, and offering resources over the digital airwaves.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot com and 313-789-3211, leave us a voicemail for the podcast.

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