For Israael Cannon, the journey of recovery from addiction isn’t just a battle but a transformative experience. With the support of Henrico County and encouragement from his children, he began a pivotal chapter in his life in January, finding a constant source of strength along the way.
“Music is healing,” he said. “Music is everything, music is sunshine, music is nightfall and we all use music to cope with everything.”
Entering the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office’s Recovery In a Secure Environment (RISE) program — an environment for inmates recovering from substance abuse — Cannon immersed himself in honing his singing and performing craft. In a testament to his progress, Cannon showcased his talents at Mobilize Recovery’s bus stop at Henrico County’s Jail West with a song of his own making.
“Have you ever felt so high that you’ve felt so low?” he sang out. “Have you ever wanted to change but they say that you won’t?”
The visit on Oct. 9 was part of Mobilize Recovery’s Across America Bus Tour 2024 to promote recovery from addiction in more than 15 cities. During the event, participants in the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office’s transitional programs shared their experiences and insights into the recovery journey.
“It really took a lot of ins and outs and taking one day at a time,” Cannon reflected on his path to the start of the program. “I always tell people recovery is something that you have to want, and as soon as you want it 100%, that’s when change will come in.”
The RISE program features coursework in Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, among other educational tools. Meanwhile, the Opiate Recovery Based on Intensive Tracking (ORBIT) program focuses on further personal development and entering the community workforce.
While talking about recovery is important, it takes a different level of courage for someone, like Cannon, to share their own journey of overcoming addiction, according to Henrico County Sheriff Alisa A. Gregory.
“Some of them have a pretty traumatic past, but being open and honest enough to share that, because that in turn will help somebody else, are heroes in my eyes,” she said.
Cannon does that through his words and his music. But what did it take for him to reach that point?
Each day, he participates in group discussions and reflects on his goals and gratitude, driven by his aspiration to become a better singer across diverse genres while drawing inspiration from his role models, artists Jelly Roll and Virginia native Pharrell Williams.
He estimated he has written about 50 songs since joining the program.
“I try to write a song a day,” Cannon said. “If not, a song a week.”
The Mobilize Recovery event concluded with participants signing their names on the organization’s bus, a testament to the significant progress these Henrico inmates — and many others nationwide — have made on their journeys.
“[Mobilize Recovery] had been all over the country and you’d think that only in my neck of the woods and this is only happening in Henrico,” Gregory noted. “Not so. This struggle is real all over the world.”
For those still navigating their recovery, Cannon offered encouragement: “Just take one day at a time and one step at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
For more information about the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office’s transitional programs, visit henrico.gov/sheriff/transitional-programs.
