Prevention Works, Treatment Works, People Do Recover
A variety of government agencies have come together to bring public awareness to the importance of treatment and prevention for mental and substance abuse disorders during the month of September, which is National Recovery Month. The message: prevention works, treatment works and people do recover. National Recovery Month calls for the visibility of those who have found recovery and are willing to talk about it.
While mental and substance abuse disorders have been cause for shame and cover-up in the past, today SAMHSA encourages recovered individuals to come forward and speak up for recovery. To get in on the action around National Recovery Month and boost personal recovery through service to others, here are some suggestions for those who have experienced recovery first-hand and who can pass along viable information and genuine encouragement.
10 Ways to Celebrate National Recovery Month
- Make sure family and friends are aware of the extent of mental illness and substance abuse within their communities. Talk about what it means to recover.
- Ask to do a presentation at a local PTA group, making sure that parents are aware, that recovery is possible and that they know the options for finding help.
- Get together with a few friends and put on a National Recovery Month event – a movie, a short community walk, a party or something bigger – maybe local sponsors would be willing to support the event. Publicize it.
- Write a press release or op-ed piece and send it to the right person at a local news outlet.
- Attend and support National Recovery Center activities in the community.
- Make an announcement on Sunday morning at church. Ask to put the announcement in the church bulletin.
- Use social media to publicize National Recovery Month.
- Pass out fliers and brochures; ask if you can leave them in doctor’s offices, the church lobby, or on the community bulletin boards of local retailers.
- Sponsor a recovery night at your home with a couple of recovering individuals and a video that highlights the possibilities for recovery.
Most important:
- Go to https://recoverymonth.gov/ for a Recovery Month tool kit that will provide everything needed for making the above activities happen.