While recovery should be celebrated EVERY day, September has been designated as the month where we come together as treatment providers, family, friends, and a nation of people who care, to celebrate and recognize those who fight the fight every single day and continue their recovery journey.
Mental illness and substance use tend to carry a negative stigma and shame that prevents many people from reaching out to get the help they need. Without dealing with these illnesses, the problems they face will often compound until the seem almost unbearable to overcome. But there is hope.
According to OASAS, 10% of Americans are in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs and nearly 20% of Americans suffer from mental illness each year.
The focus of Recovery Month 2016 (#RecoveryMonth) is on families; their stories and recovery journies. By teaching Americans that better services, support and compassion for those who have mental illnesses and substance use disorders can help those suffering as well as their families, we can improve the lives of a HUGE number of people in America.
Read some of the amazing Recovery Stories here.
Improving overall health is essential to your well being. If you are stuggling with any mental health or substance use disorders, seek help. It is absolutely possible to lead a healthy, productive life in recovery.
Prevention works. Treatment is effective. People can and do recover.
The time has come to remove the stigma of mental health and substance use disorders and to treat them as we would other health issues. Speak up about the gains made by those in recovery and share success stories with neighbors, friends, and colleagues. In doing so, you help to increase awareness and further a greater understanding and compassion about the diseases of mental and substance use disorders.
Aquila Recovery would like to formally recognize Recovery Month, and encourage you to get involved and celebrate. YOU deserve it! You and/or your loved ones have worked hard to get to this point, now let everyone know it. Your story is important and may be the inspiration of hope that someone struggling needs to hear.