Happy National Recovery Month!
September 2021 has been proclaimed National Recovery Month - officially through the White House. It has long been celebrated through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). For us to receive this nationally is TRULY a momentous recognition of not only the pain that we have gone through, but also the hard work and determination that goes into our recovery. How fortunate are we that we DO have a treatment for our disease, that we DO have a way out of the endless cycle of misery and hopelessness that we previously thought we were doomed to.
This years theme for National Recovery Month is that Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community. This fitting theme aligns perfectly with the traditions of 12 step groups everywhere. No matter who you are, where you come from, your race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, you CAN recover. It costs nothing to join a 12 step group. The ONLY requirement for membership is a desire to stop __________.
Seems ironic to say “Happy” National Recovery Month. How could we celebrate anything surrounding the disease of addiction, this terrible blight on humanity that rips families apart and empties us of any shred of decency, that robs us of our very essence of being?
But we who have recovered will tell you - we are happy! Beyond happy - we are free. Free from the chains of our disease which held us in bondage for so long, despite our wanting to stop, despite our trying to stop on our own willpower. The freedom we have found is beyond anything we could have ever imagined for ourselves.
So we do say Happy Recovery Month! Happy Recovery Life in fact! We know, that while staying sober is truly a one day at a time process - without the admission of powerlessness every day, we are very likely to succumb to our disease again. For those of us who have been in the rooms of recovery for awhile, who have witnessed what happens when a person decides to tempt fate and see if they can drink/use/eat/whatever like a “normal” person, we know that there are very few options for us once our addiction has us in its grip. The likely three: jails, institutions, and death.
If you are struggling, please reach out to us. We are here to help. We can’t stay sober without helping others, so you in turn are helping us! And if you have recovered, if you are recovering, please share with us in the comments what has been essential for you in your recovery! We need you. We need each other. We are not alone.
Read the National Recovery Month Proclamation here:
Find more info on National Recovery Month here: