Happy Recovery Month!
Every year in September people across the nation participate in National Recovery Month. Last year 1,405 events reached about 1.5 million people. This month will mark the 24th year of spreading the positive message: prevention works, treatment is effective and people recover.
Together on Pathways to Wellness
This year’s theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together on Pathways to Wellness.” Together because we all know a successful recovery is rarely, if ever, accomplished by oneself. Our journey needs the support that family, friends and others in recovery so graciously give us. Pathways refers to the different ways people get to and stay on their journey of wellness.
Alcoholics Anonymous
One pathway to wellness started helping people in 1935–Alcoholics Anonymous. Like most things, growth was challenging in the beginning, but in Spring 1941, the Fellowship had 2,000 members and 8,000 by the end of the year. Now, more than seventy years later, A.A. is the world’s largest self-help group, connecting at least two million people across 170 countries, all helping each other attain and maintain sobriety—one day at a time.
Celebrate: get involved
Whether you are staying sober through practicing the Twelve Step method or a different approach, we all share the desire to lead a full life free from the tyrany of drugs and alcohol abuse. Let’s come together this month as we celebrate recovery: together.
Here are two ways you can get involved:
- Participate in a recovery event. A handful of recovery events may be going on near you. For example, go to a Recovery Walk; one is this Thursday (9/12) around Lake Merritt in Oakland and another next Wednesday (9/18) at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Napa. If you’re near San Rafael on Saturday (9/14), they’re having a sobriety celebration at the Fairgrounds. Participating in these local events is a great way to join others in showing that there is hope for addiction and that recovery is possible.
- Share your story, so that others may be encouraged to either start or keep pressing on their journies of recovery. You can share tour own story of hope on the recovery month site or with us. You never know the power your story may have to encourage someone to keep going instead of giving up, or give someone the push they need to seek recovery for themself.
Recovery is possible. Let’s join together this month to show the world that prevention works, treatment is effective and people do recover!