Celebrating National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month 2020

Many people who suffer from substance abuse disorder know that it is not easy to completely recover from this disease. In fact, the recovery phase stands as the most difficult period of the whole addiction treatment process. However, while it is certainly difficult to get out of addiction, it is definitely not impossible. Many campaigns and awareness programs have been dedicated to substance abuse disorder and mental health issues, educating people that these conditions can be dealt with correctly, providing those affected seek proper treatment. National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month are celebrated every year to spread this exact same message to the masses. Americans are educated about the importance of seeking treatment for mental disorders and addiction.

Every year, September is dedicated as a recovery month where the people who have successfully fought their conditions related to substance abuse and psychological disorders are appreciated for their efforts. This annual event is crucial to make people understand the importance of adopting behavioral changes and living a healthy and sober life.

National Recovery Month 2020

Motivation plays a very crucial role in the life of a patient, especially if they are suffering from substance abuse disorder. Also, seeing one patient improving encourages others to seek medical help and get their lives back on track. Every September, National Recovery Month aims to aware thousands of Americans that recovery is achievable and possible through targeted and timely treatment approaches. For 2020, the theme for this event was Join the Voices for Recovery: Celebrating Connections.

The event was celebrated across the United States and was observed by many people whether they were the patients or the ones who have left using substances for ages now. This was the 31st year of the National Recovery Month, and for the past 30 years, the event was hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Starting this year, the reins of the event were handed over to Faces & Voices of Recovery.

Faces & Voices of Recovery is a dedicated organization that works on a national level to promote recovery, and aids in transforming the lives of over 20 million American addicts. The organization helps these patients by providing proper resources, advocacy, and education about how to leave addiction far behind and focus on achieving long-term sobriety.

The month is, indeed, celebrated to spread awareness about addiction and appreciate the efforts made by millions of people who are in recovery. However, the month is also about educating people about new recovery and treatment practices, honor the recovery community, and appreciate the work of thousands of clinicians and their staff for helping people fight their battles against addiction and make recovery possible.

What Are The Events Celebrated In Recovery Month?

The coronavirus pandemic has halted the world and made it nearly impossible for social gatherings to conduct like before. But, should it stop the celebration from happening? Of course not. Many events were still conducted to make sure the tradition of appreciation and applause to those in recovery is carried on, and people get their annual dose of awareness regarding substance abuse disorder.

Rallies were moved outside, and various webinars and social meetups were shifted to online platforms where the people came and chose to either attend or even host the events. The recovery month’s calendar is filled with events, ideas, and inspiration for ways to celebrate and support the recovery community. The weekly or daily events include Webinar Wednesdays, Step Up for Recovery, The ART 30-day challenge, and Recovery Out Loud via Facebook Live.

Specifications of Recovery Month

Although the theme for National Recovery Month changes every year, the official color for this month-long celebration is always the same for each year – purple. However, many other colors can be incorporated in this event such as turquoise ribbons which are also used to spread awareness for addiction recovery.

And while the colors and themes are subject to change each year, what remains is the message that the organizers intent to spread through this event.

Efforts By The Organizations

National recovery month is not just limited to one group of people and anyone who wants to make the nation free of the mite that addiction is can make good use of this time of the year to spread awareness. Many organizations join hands during this month to combine their efforts and make people more aware of the importance of treatment in addiction recovery. And since not many people like being educated on an issue as sensitive and complex as addiction, these organizations choose interesting ways to do the same things.

Some organizations focused on utilizing the power of social media and turn it into the best medium to connect with the masses. Organizing a video contest that demonstrates how important the power of connection is in recovery. Also, many social groups organized photo contests for the people who have defeated addiction and are now celebrating their healthy and sober living. All these social events drew more people and registered a tremendous response.

However, other organizations tried deviating away from the fun-part and had a straight-up webinar or meetings where the addicts, those who have recovered, and those who are in recovery are all together to discuss and motivate each other for their new life ahead. Also, many included a guest who is a renowned clinician or expert in substance abuse disorder, helping people to not only understand the addiction disease as in whole but also get answers to some of the most common misconceptions around this disease.

Faces & Voices of Recovery have worked really hard to make this event a great success amid the present coronavirus situation. Their efforts have reaped into fruitful results that included good participation of people, and helping hands from various other organizations in this fight against addiction. If you need any more information on the Recovery Month of 2020, feel free to visit their website where you can find all the details relates to the event. Faces & Voices of Recovery have made a new website to list out the events and assets that made the Recovery Month of 2020 possible.

Conclusion

The stigma around addiction and mental illness has declined for the past few years. However, that doesn’t mean we have a society that accepts all the suffering patients with open arms. There is still a lot of work to be done, and people have to understand the consequences of this disease if it’s left untreated. National Recovery Month focuses on this exact same problem and does its part of promoting the importance of seeking addiction treatment. The rest all depends on us, the people, and how well we incorporate these changes to our lives.