Communities Celebrate Sobriety During Recovery Month

This September marks the 17th annual celebration of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month , sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Recovery Month serves a dual purpose – to educate the public on substance abuse, addiction as a disease and the possibility of recovery; and to give recovering people and the addiction professionals who serve them a forum in which to celebrate their successes and share their stories with others.

With this year's theme “Join the Voices for Recovery: Build a Stronger, Healthier Community,” CSAT expects even more participation in communities across the nation. Recovery Month is a chance for treatment centers to highlight their accomplishments to the community at large, thereby encouraging support for treatment programs.

Events to commemorate Recovery Month are happening in communities all over the country. Treatment centers and recovery groups are hosting art shows, dances, concerts, seminars, recovery walks, open house events, motorcycle rides and more. Anyone who is interested in finding or planning a community recovery event should visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov/2006/default.aspx , where you can obtain a listing of events by state. The site also provides free recovery event planning “toolkits,” that explain how to plan, launch, and publicize an effective Recovery Month campaign in just five simple steps. These toolkits can be downloaded directly from the website, or free hard copy kits are available upon request by calling (800) 662-HELP.

In addition to several publications that provide assistance to addiction treatment providers, SAMHSA also has produced nine webcasts that will run the first Wednesday of every month through September. SAMHSA kicked off its Recovery Month 2006 series of nine webcasts in January with The 2006 Road to Recovery , which featured CSAT Director Dr. H. Westley Clark and recovery representatives across the nation in an introduction to the Recovery Month 2006 .

The second webcast in February, Recovery and the Military: Treating Veterans and their Families , featured a panel discussion on the effects of deployment, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and other stressors of military life that could potentially lead to unhealthy coping behaviors and/or addiction to alcohol and drugs in veterans returning to civilian life. This program examines addiction treatment options available for veterans and their families, and addresses current trends and prevalence of substance use disorders among veterans.

In March's webcast, Addiction and the Family: Healing and Recovery , a panel of experts examined intergenerational vulnerability and the risks involved for alcohol and other substance use disorders by the sons and daughters of addiction-prone homes. Family patterns, denial, and current trends in family interventions and programs were discussed.

Other webcasts focus on topics, such as: youth and college drinking; embracing recovery in the labor sector; the role of faith-based organizations in recovery; addiction and the justice system; defining the addiction treatment workforce; and caring for persons with co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions.

After their initial broadcast, all webcasts are then archived and made available for viewing at anytime. Once they have aired, video cassettes or DVDs of the Recovery Month webcasts also will be made available for purchase.

Stephanie L. Muller is the editor of Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals. She can be reached at editor@counselormagazine.com.