September 2021 is National Recovery Month, an annual celebration and observance of recovery from addiction. Every September, communities and organizations throughout the United States hold events to educate Americans on the awareness of addiction as a chronic illness, that substance use disorder treatment works, that recovery is possible, and that those who have suffered from substance misuse can live healthy and rewarding lives.
According to NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, National Recovery Month “celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. This observance reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.”
Across communities throughout the country during the month of September, individuals in the recovery community, family members of those in recovery, advocates, behavioral health and addiction treatment professionals, and others, will come together to celebrate the transformative power of recovery from addiction. An underlying theme each recovery month is to offer hope to those still struggling with addiction that recovery is possible, and that recovery is available to anyone that seeks it. As a whole, National Recovery Month reinforces a positive message of recovery, while still holding the important view of addiction and a potentially deadly illness.
The theme of National Recovery Month 2021 in September is “Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community.” This year’s theme reminds people that addiction does not just impact the individual sufferer of the disease, but also impacts their family members, their loved ones, and their community. Furthermore, this year’s theme reminds people that recovery is also not simply for the individual overcoming addiction, but recovery is also for their family their loved ones, and their community. It offers awareness that no one is alone in their journey of addiction and in the journey of their recovery, and while each individual may have a different journey of recovery, everyone is in it together and everyone needs love, encouragement, support, and understanding.
National Recovery Month helps to break the stigma often associated with addiction, mental health, and recovery by giving a national platform for individuals, families, organizations, and professionals to share stories of recovery. Throughout the month, every state and communities within each state will have numerous events that bring about awareness and education. There will be celebrations, 5K walks and runs, picnics and cookouts, webinars and virtual educational events, townhalls, rallies, sporting and athletic events and competitions, advocacy days at state capitols, as well overdose awareness events and vigils dedicated to those who have been lost to addiction. The organization Faces and Voices of Recovery has created a National Recovery Month calendar, where different events throughout the country will be shared. You can find it here.
As a society, we still face a terrible stigma associated with addiction. In 2020, we lost over 93,000 Americans lives to overdose. Some people still do not consider addiction a disease, but rather a choice, and that those suffering from addiction are bad people or moral defectives, rather than individuals suffering from a chronic medical condition and brain disorder. We have a long way to go. However, there are also millions of Americans living in recovery from addiction. Even more families and loved ones have been touched by the power of recovery, watching their loved ones recover from a debilitating illness. Recovery has the power to transform lives, so National Recovery Month 2021 offers an opportunity for those individuals in recovery to share their stories of transformation, and hopefully impact those that still suffer, demonstrating hope so that those individuals and families can find healing.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at info@marylandaddictionrecovery.com. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our website at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.