Celebrate National Recovery Month! Celebrate the recovery of those who are coping with chemical dependency
This year, Recovery Month focuses on the successful sobriety of hundreds of thousands Americans who have recognized that drugs and alcohol were destroying their jobs, their families, and their lives, and who are now living sober one day at a time. However, those in recovery still must overcome the social stigma, discrimination and other barriers to continued sobriety. “Once a junkie, always a junkie” and “You can’t trust a drunk” are still attitudes that prevail among employers if their employee comes forward to ask for help in getting sober. Thus, chemically dependent employees believe that they must keep their addiction a secret; they feel they can’t seek treatment because doing so would cost them their job.
People who suffer from the medical disease of addiction frequently have co-morbid conditions such as depression, bi-polar (manic-depression) illness, phobias, domestic violence and anxiety disorders. Alcohol and other drugs are often used to self-medicate these conditions. In our country, mental health disorders, much like chemical dependency, have a stigma attatched to them. Mental health patients and addicts are told by others to “just stop it” and “use your will power.” It is by no means that simple. No one chooses to be depressed or addicted; yet those who suffer from these illnesses are all to often shunned by family, friends, employers and their communities. This attitude of non-support only serves to increase the severity of these illnesses.
People who have abused substances for a long period of time tend to feel hopeless and helpless about their addiction. This September, those in successful recovery and chemical dependency counselors will reach out to those who feel they are beyond help. With all the resources available, no one, regardless of their addiction history, is unable to recover. What these addicts need is help and encouragement, not judgment and criticism.
President George W. Bush’s Access to Recovery (ATR) Program is administered by SAMHSA and emphasizes every addict’s access to treatment services. President Bush’s program gives all states, territories and tribal organizations discretion to design and implement community-based treatment programs. For those who cannot afford treatment, President Bush’s program grants federally-supported grants to people in need of treatment. This allows addicts to choose the recovery program that is right for them and expands access to care, be it a 12-Step program, a religious faith-based program, or in-patient hospitalization.
Every community feels the effects of its addicted population through crime, DUIs, and lost work time. For us to say “I’m not an addict, this isn’t my problem” is a gross mis-statement. If your loved one drives under the influence of a substance and kills someone in a car wreck, you are affected. If you are robbed or burglarized so an addict has money to buy drugs, you are affected. If your employee doesn’t show up for work due to intoxiction, you are affected. In our communities, everyone is affected by drug and alcohol abuse. Chemical dependency is a community problem, not just an individual problem. The answer is not to incarcerate every offender unless you, the taxpayer, want your taxes increased to pay for their maintenance. The only viable solution is recovery. Addicts want to recover; many just don’t know how to seek help or have given up on themselves.
The number one drug of abuse among teenagers and young adults is methamphetamine. This toxic drug is an equal-opportunity distroyer; it knows no bounds of economic or social status. Housewife or homeless, meth is powerfully addictive and difficult to “kick.” It is cheap and easily obtained, and ultimately destroys the lives of those who are addicted to it. Also prevalent among young adults is MDMA (Ecstacy), crack cocaine, and marijuana.
Many alcohol and drug abuse counselors are themselves recovering addicts. This September, SAMHSA is asking these professionals to step forward and be role models for those who are still suffering from addiction. No one is more effective in drug abuse counseling than a recovering addict. The prevalent feeling is that unless you have walked that walk, you cannot fully understand the hopelessness, shame, and powerlessness of an addict. We can’t just “get over it.” We wish it was that simple, but recovery is far more complex that this concept. If given the opportunity and support, the great majority of addicts will accept help to gain sobriety.
What can you and your community do to help National Recovery Month in September? First, social and political leaders must work together to offer help to those who are suffering from addction. Eliminate the fear of self-reporting to employers. Religious and spiritual community leaders should emphasize the love of the Higher Power for every person, including the addicted. Support and encourage those who seek treatment for chemical dependency. Provide family counseling for spouses and children of the recovering addict. Most of all, eliminate the stigma of the weak-willed, degenerate addict. Applaud those who seek treatment rather than shunning them. Addiction is not a choice; it is a legitimate medical illness. You and your community can make powerful statements of support this September; please don’t let this opportunity pass you buy.
Every person reading this article knows someone who has been affected by chemical dependency. You may not know it, but they are there; the alcoholic, the narcotic pain-killer addict, the marijuana smoker, the crack cocaine user. They are your neighbors, your colleagues, the person sitting next to you in church. This September, let them know that you care, that you support their recovery. Then, their recovery is up to them
