National Recovery Month is a time to promote rehab and raise awareness for people in need of substance treatment. This is also the best time to provide support. Whether it is for a loved one or as a public volunteer, there are efforts you can take to make a difference. If you’re the individual in need of addiction treatment, there’s no better time to get the help you need and deserve. Below outlines all the details surrounding September’s Recovery Month, the history, importance, and impact of addiction, and ways you can make a difference.
What is National Recovery Month About?
National Recovery Month takes place every September to celebrate the latest scientific breakthroughs in recovery treatment. In addition, efforts are heightened throughout the month to promote and support people who need rehab. While The Lovett Center equally prioritizes recovery support throughout the year, we magnify our community outreach in September. This includes public events, inspirational speeches, and other enjoyable social activities to encourage people to accept the help they need.
Why Is National Recovery Month Important?
Several reasons make September a crucial time to encourage people to seek rehab. The full-spectrum efforts of our community help provide that little extra nudge that leads to the following important factors of this important time.
The light September sheds on the prevalence and commonalities of addiction encourages people to come clean with their struggles. That’s what raising awareness for this month is all about: opening up and sharing your struggles. The simple act of sharing is an important first step for many towards accepting that there’s a problem that needs to be dealt with.
The increased community efforts truly make a difference. This month often provides the solid foundation people need to seek medical help. Equally important, our compassionate therapists utilize this time to teach loved ones of the addicted party to be the best support member possible. This means undergoing personalized training to relate and support your loved one based on their specific needs.
This isn’t just about encouraging the addicted party to open up. It’s also about opening channels of communication on both sides of the spectrum. This helps loved ones and substance strugglers alike to share their thoughts, concerns, and battles in an openly loving manner. This, in turn, helps both you and your loved ones understand one another on a deeper level.
Once open communication is established, the bonds that were once broken can then be mended. When both the addicted party and their loved ones understand one another better, the healing process can begin. This helps you grow closer together because of the efforts initiated by this wonderful month. Most importantly, this growth continues throughout the course of rehab and beyond.
With all the light being shed on scientific progress in addiction treatment, these breakthroughs instill confidence in the recovery process. That is to say, if an individual has previously undergone unsuccessful treatment, they may have lost the drive to enroll. Hence, September’s awareness efforts reestablish the confidence one may have lost in rehab. Regardless of the reason for one’s faith being shaken, the Lovett Center restores your determination with our unparalleled treatment techniques.
What is the History of National Recovery Month?
September’s awareness efforts for addiction recovery began around the 1750s with the establishment of the Alcoholic Mutual Aid Society. This society was the first support system implemented to help individuals struggling with alcohol addiction. This can be considered the prerequisite of what would later become Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which was officially established in 1935. In recent years, medical breakthroughs in rehab pharmaceuticals have changed the nature of how we treat addiction. For example, the approval of Buprenopine in the early 2000s revolutionized opioid addiction treatment with its unprecedented treatment aid. In recent years, more mental health and addiction societies have been formed to magnify support efforts for individuals in need of treatment.
Common Facts About Addiction
A key aspect of raising recovery awareness involves sharing common facts and understanding the impacts of addiction. Here are just a few of the many common addiction facts to be aware of.
Substance addiction has severe, permanent mental health defects. So much so that scientists have found substance dependency induces mental health struggles known as substance use disorders, or SUDs. Because of this, it takes a mental health approach to treatment to recover from substance use properly. That’s where our unrivaled treatment experts are best equipped with the most state-of-the-art tools and techniques out there.
When substance abuse takes hold of a life, it doesn’t just affect the addicted party. It affects everybody closest to the individual. That’s why it takes a family unit to heal together as a close-knit support group. Therefore, we provide in-depth training for friends and family members you can trust to be in your corner throughout the process. For severe cases, raising awareness of the family’s impact on the struggling party through intervention methods may be the best way to convey your point.
Addiction and mental health are often directly related. That’s because substance dependency afflicts other severe complications on your mental psyche due to the neurobiological imbalances. These substance-caused imbalances result in chemical deficiencies that lead to the development of other mental health problems. This includes, but is not limited to, anxiety, personality, and depression disorders. In such cases where addiction has begun to cause other mental problems, dual-diagnosis treatment may be the best option.
Over 85 percent of Americans reported misusing alcohol at some point in their lives. In addition, nearly 90,000 die because of alcohol, whether directly or indirectly related. Sadly, alcohol dependency is not considered as severe an addiction as other drugs, when the opposite is often true. Alcohol induces the same level or worse cases of dependency, withdrawal, and psychological and physical impacts.
This staggering statistic means that the majority of addiction sufferers are functioning substance abusers. This also means many of these cases effectively conceal their addictions from their closest friends, family, and coworkers. These cases are especially dangerous considering that these occupations fund and progressively worsen drug use. That’s why it’s important to notice the signs of addiction to keep them and others safe in the workplace.
How To Take Part in National Recovery Month
It’s easy to get involved in the push for promoting recovery in September. All you need is to be directed to the right place to know where and how to get started in thrusting yourself into the effort. Bearing that in mind, here are the best places to start getting involved in September’s push for recovery awareness.
Local libraries, city hall locations, and other government buildings have monthly activity boards. These boards note all the opportunities for community involvement, especially those related to September’s awareness efforts for recovery. Find an activity or outreach program you’re comfortable with and get involved in the effort to make a difference in your area.
For individuals who have witnessed addiction from a loved one or experienced it firsthand, your story can make a difference. Volunteer yourself to speak out about your past and your experiences with addiction. Your words help others who battle these strongholds not feel alone in their addiction. Your motivational speech can be just the encouragement one needs to get over the hump to seek professional treatment.
People in rehab could always use an accountability partner or support member to turn to when they need inspiration. You can be that person by volunteering at a local facility to help a recovery patient who needs sobriety support. There are different tiers and levels of support you can volunteer for that fit into your schedule to ensure optimal assistance. Whether it means simply volunteering a small amount of time at a local facility or being a support contact, there’s a place for you.
Taking the initiative to serve on an addiction-based community board is a great way to help people struggling with addiction. This means volunteering at free community gatherings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and other addiction aid services. Your time investment, guidance, and encouragement can be the greatest assets during a difficult time for someone struggling with a substance use disorder.
If you have some additional income, your financial contributions can make a tremendous impact on facilitating the future of rehab. Research is always being conducted on the development of cutting-edge recovery tools. Your financial donations to these diligent efforts can help accelerate the production of effective new recovery pharmaceuticals and techniques.
The Lovett Center Can Assist with Drug and Alcohol Addiction
There’s no better place to turn to than The Lovett Center when seeking a permanent solution to your addiction battles. We’ll instill the confidence, joy, and determination you need to conquer every addiction obstacle. All you need to do is reach out to our team to begin the first step of the rest of your life in sobriety.
Robert is deeply committed to serving others and is passionate about hope and despair in clinical treatment. With over 20 years in addiction and mental health, he has experience in private practice, clinical supervision, and program management, co-founding The Lovett Center and Ethos. He earned a Master’s degree from the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work, which honored him as a 50 for 50 Alumni in 2019. His education includes fellowships at the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies and The Menninger Clinic, where he held leadership roles and received the Menninger Clinic Pillar Award for Integrity. The Houston Business Journal recognized him as a 40 Under 40 Class of 2018 Honoree.