Mike Barry has had his share of broad life experiences from which to draw. By age 40 he had reached the peak of his profession as a TV News Anchor, reporter, and producer. But behind the polished image of success was a man already overwhelmed by the disease of alcoholism.

His story is more common than you think, which is why the driving passion of his life today is to help others in need of a new life, free from addiction and in long-term recovery, he himself found.

His new calling as an advocate for the recovery movement is enhanced by his training and experience in broadcasting and technology. His unique combination of talent, energy and devotion to the cause has placed Mike Barry at the heart of this movement.

He travels the country seeking to educate others about addiction, to remove barriers and discrimination, and thus enable those in long-term recovery and no longer using alcohol or other drugs to become productive members of society.

Press Release 07/19/2005
Mike Barry: Advocate of the Year

Mike Barry was awarded the Kentucky School’s 2005 Advocate of the Year Award. Barry is the former coordinator of The Healing Place Angel Programs (volunteers that work with individuals needing to begin recovery and their families); the program also has a very successful prison outreach.

He serves on the board of directors of Faces & Voices of Recovery in Washington, D.C. as the regional representative for its Mid-Atlantic region which includes Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia. He is President of People Advocating Recovery (PAR), a statewide organization in Kentucky with over 4000 members and six chapters. Barry is also a founding board member of Addiction Recovery Advocates of Kentuckiana (ARAK), a local organization serving Metro Louisville and Southern Indiana. Barry is also the Executive Director of the Beacon House…a transitional living recovery program for 45 men. Congratulations Mike!