events nationwide supporting the 2008 recovery month theme of join the voices for recovery: real people, real recovery. recovery month promotes the benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment for individuals, their families, and their communities. it recognizes the contributions of treatment providers and promotes the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible. today, we urge every person in this country to pause and reflect on the great gift of recovery and to thank the thousands of committed workers, counselors, health care providers, physicians, social workers, eap specialists, peer support, and others who toil daily to bring healing to the millions affected by the disease of addiction. the beneficiaries of recovery are not just the individual who has the substance abuse problem, but it's the family, as we pointed out, and the community.

real quick. within the native american communities, in order for recovery to really take hold, because alcohol as an addiction is real prevalent among our people, the community has to heal from within. you can have an army of sources coming from the outside, but unless the community is vested in it and heals itself, whatever you do will be moot. and i think increasingly, going back to national alcohol and drug addiction recovery month, the fact that individuals are more increasingly coming forward and telling their stories and talking about their own recovery- i think- and paying back, as you were saying, they can not only be used to help people create a peer support, but also to create a sense within that community block to help prevent other folks from having to deal with this issue. role models have to come from the community. it's not for a super star, it has to be seen as real, your neighbor, your father, your uncle. and it's so crucial because sometimes we think the role model should be the basketball star and they are so untouchable that they can't relate it. but if we create these role models in terms of your family, your teacher, your pastor, that will be very successful in terms of disseminating. and kids look up to the role models that we have created in our communities. and that's why drug courts are very important - alternatives to incarceration, they are very important. the cherokee drug court, what happens is when you have a graduate, they come back and become a mentor to the rest of the defendants. and being in a small community like my reservation, chances are they used together. so when the one that is new into the court sees their party buddy being clean and sober, working a good job, clean, it works. they go how did you do it? well, i'll tell you about it, this is how i did it. and it's sort of like that peer networking. dr. clark, you wanted

recovery. there's real anxiety there. especially here in the auto industry, so many people lost their jobs. we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. there's a real high level of anxiety out there. i don't think he'll play a role in michigan. i don't think he plans to come to michigan. and the democratic candidates aren't anxious to have him here. he symbolizes obama care and things people are frustrated and upset about. >> why is michigan politician or the state important to the rest of the country? >> i think it is indicative of what happens in the rest of the country. if there's a total republican sweep here in michigan, then i think that -- there's no doubt that there will be a switch in the majority in congress. at least this the house of representatives. what happens around the country if michigan can go red, there's a lot of states this can go red. >> the race could not be tighter. welcome to you. tonight's debate is being sponsored. we have people watching on abc and facebook. charles thomas and tracy lester and andy shaw, long-time reporter for wls. we want tote to it tonight. we'll start with the opening statements. each candidate will