Keep Moving Forward

Benjamin Lerner’s upcoming EP releases mark a milestone in our shared journey of recovery advocacy in Vermont and beyond.

In 2019, I interviewed Benjamin Lerner for the Fall issue of Vermont Magazine, highlighting his remarkable story and our ambitious shared vision for his debut album, CLEAN. The project was entirely recorded in Vermont at Old Mill Road Recording, and it was this project that originally brought Benjamin and I together in a creative capacity. We worked together on developing the album, which combined elements of classical piano and Hip-Hop music to tell the true story of his recovery from opioid use disorder. 

That article and that album were the start of a joint campaign that has evolved over the past five years in very powerful ways.

Working together, Benjamin and I combined our shared knowledge, me as a physician and music producer, and him as a musician in recovery, to confront the stigma surrounding substance use disorder (SUD). 

We brought that message to a wide number of places, ranging from the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C., where Benjamin performed, spoke, and met with politicians, leaders in the medical field, and nationwide advocates; to the stages of Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of The Indie Collaborative. 

Since then, our determination to use our platforms to break the stigma surrounding SUD has only grown.

His debut album, CLEAN, was released in February 2020. That album served as the catalyst of the CLEAN campaign, which has gone on to reach far beyond Vermont’s borders. The release of the album coincided with the launch of the CLEAN Column, which was first published in the Vermont News Guide in 2020 and was syndicated in Seven Days from 2021-2022. The column gave a voice to those in the recovery community and their families through Benjamin’s personal, written stories. 

Our collaboration with the beloved, Manchester-based alternative radio station, WEQX, also began in 2021. Working together, Benjamin and I developed a radio show called CLEAN Jams, which still airs every Thursday night at 11 PM EST on 102.7 WEQX. CLEAN Jams combines recovery-affirming Hip-Hop music and in-depth interviews with recovery allies across the state and beyond in a novel way, bringing a new level of visibility to open recovery conversations. Featured guests have included Vermont’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Mark Levine; Vermont’s former Commissioner of Corrections, Jim Baker; and Mickey Wiles, founder of the groundbreaking Vermont-based recovery nonprofit, Working Fields; among many others. These Vermonters engaged in deeply meaningful conversations with Benjamin on the airwaves about recovery and hope, adding their voices to the growing dialogue.

In November 2022, Benjamin and I took these efforts even further by taking the campaign to digital media. Using the CLEAN columns and the conversations on CLEAN Jams as a guiding light, we developed a strategy for posting daily, spoken-word videos and short-form music videos that spoke to people at all stages of recovery. The social media reels soon turned into a viral movement, which has now amassed over 100 million views across platforms. Benjamin’s social media presence has now grown to over 300,000 followers, with every daily video serving as a reminder of the power of honesty in breaking down the stigma surrounding SUD and inspiring others to seek help.

And now, we are preparing for the release of three consecutive EPs through Old Mill Road Recording, entitled Keep Moving Forward, Run Towards The Truth, and Don’t Quit Before The Miracle Happens. The three titles for the upcoming EPs were taken directly from the signoff from Benjamin’s CLEAN column. The upcoming musical releases are a testament to the journey Benjamin and I have been on together, both as creative partners and community advocates for recovery. And like everything that has come before them in the CLEAN campaign, these EPs are deeply-rooted in the Vermont community, where all of this began, and where it continues to grow.

From the start, our shared work has been grounded in the Green Mountain State, and we are grateful to have had the honor of partnering with several dedicated community organizations throughout the campaign’s evolution, such as The Collaborative (a multifaceted youth prevention advocacy group in Londonderry) and Turning Point Center of Bennington County, among others. From the CLEAN album and CLEAN Jams, recorded in East Arlington, to the social media reels filmed in Southern Vermont’s communities, every piece of content we’ve created has been tied to the Green Mountain State, its remarkable and resilient people, and its strong recovery community. 

Vermont has not only embraced us—it has embraced the message of recovery, and for that, we are incredibly thankful. 

— Joshua Sherman, M.D.

Learn more about Benjamin’s music and join us on this journey:

BenjaminLerner.com