National Recovery Month

Every September SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) sponsors Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use issues and celebrate the people who recover. In the newspaper, and on the internet, it is easy to find many horror stories about addiction and mental health, the havoc substance abuse and/or mental health issues create for families, children, schools, and communities. We watch television, both fiction and non-fiction, with sensationalistic depictions of people in the throws of their addiction or experiencing a psychotic break. We see the ongoing war on drugs, mixed messages about the use of drugs or alcohol, prescription drug abuse, the legalization of marijuana by state and local governments with the federal government “looking the other way” despite regulation surrounding the illegal use of drugs. It is easy to find hundreds of articles, shows, video clips, or books about addiction and mental health issues. However, less frequently do we see information, articles, and stories about people in recovery.
 
Webster’s definition of “recovery” is:

• the act or process of becoming healthy after an illness or injury
• the act or process of returning to a normal state after a period of difficulty
• the return of something that has been lost, stolen, etc.

Recovery is a broad topic about which much information could be written.  It is an intensely personal experience and journey and each person in recovery understands what recovery means in their life. Studies show that most people with mental health problems get better and recover completely.  People engage in recovery in multiple ways including: treatment, faith/spirituality, natural, criminal justice interventions, support from individuals, and/or family, mutual assistance groups, and recovery community centers.