A Tangled Ball of Yarn: Using Art to Break the Chains of StigmaA Tangled Ball of Yarn: Using Art to Break the Chains of Stigma
Scope of Practice
Conversation between Jeff and Dr. Patty Bode about how the Remember Love Recovery Project uses art to challenge addiction stigma and honour her son Ryan. The episode touches on grief, community art-making and the role of creativity in supporting recovery and changing public attitudes.
38:46•10 Sept 2026
Remember Love: Art, Grief and Fighting Addiction Stigma
Episode Overview
- Art-making can increase emotional insight, reduce shame and improve self-esteem for people in substance use treatment.
- The Remember Love Recovery Project uses "recovery flags" and other art to challenge stigma around addiction and honour Ryan’s legacy.
- Group creative work in settings like prisons and recovery centres helps people feel seen, calm and briefly free from their circumstances.
- Grief is described as lifelong, like a tree growing around a hollow, creating unexpected spaces for new life and meaning.
- Changing public attitudes toward addiction is presented as key to shifting policy and expanding compassionate care.
“Every individual with substance use disorder is somebody's baby. Ryan was mine.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation centres on art, grief, and the stubborn hope that refuses to disappear after loss. You’ll hear about Dr. Patty Bode’s Remember Love Recovery Project, created in honour of her son Ryan, who died from an overdose in 2018. Ryan’s banjo playing, t‑shirt designs and restless creativity led Patty to describe him as a "tangled ball of yarn" – full of energy, expression and questions.
After his death, the family found a linoleum block he’d carved saying "remember love", a design he’d used to hand-print t‑shirts. That simple message became the heart of a movement. The episode walks through how art-making supports people with substance use disorders, from reducing shame to building self-esteem and emotional insight. Patty explains that making "recovery flags" in groups lets people pour their own stories and messages into fabric, whether they’re in prisons, recovery centres, schools, or big-city galleries.
One participant in prison whispered to her, "I forgot that I was in prison," capturing how creative work can temporarily restore humanity in the harshest environments. Patty and host Jeff talk about stigma as a shared problem, not just for those directly affected. The project’s mission is clear: to challenge the dehumanising attitudes around addiction through art, education and human connection, with a vision of ending overdose and the social indifference that surrounds it.
As Patty puts it, "Every individual with substance use disorder is somebody’s baby. Ryan was mine." Art here isn’t about perfection; it’s about expression, repetition and community. Just like each hand-printed t‑shirt comes out slightly different yet equally valid, so do people’s paths in grief and recovery. If you’re curious how creativity can soften stigma and remind people of their worth, this episode might spark ideas for your own way of "remembering love" in recovery spaces.
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