Recovery Month started in 1989 celebrating the importance of treatment in helping people with substance use disorders reclaim their lives. In 1998 the month changed to National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Now, with a greater understanding of mental illness and the many interconnections between addiction and varying mental health issues, since 2011, SAMHA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration celebrates National Recovery Month, to be all encompassing.
On the surface, National Recovery Month is an effort at awareness and spreading positive messaging which directly confronts the shame, stigma, and stereotype often associated with addiction and mental health issues. Dig deeper into the purpose of the celebration and be surprised by the depths of the month’s celebratory meaning.
“Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions,” the website for the celebration reads. “There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery. Since these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population, Recovery Month provides a vehicle for everyone to celebrate the accomplishments.”
Bringing Recovery Out Of The Dark
Too often, stories of recovery are overshadowed by stories of addiction. Men who make the radical decision to live in active recovery learn that their recovery has to be lived in the light, as much as possible. Shame, blame, and guilt for what was done in addiction can cause men to feel as though they aren’t deserving of positive recognition for their accomplishments in recovery. What men quickly discover is that recovery is an accomplishment in and of itself. Living every day clean and sober without turning to self-destructive, self-sabotaging habits is a remarkable accomplishment. National Recovery Month encourages men in recovery, their families, and the American public as a whole to stop putting recovery in the dark and start celebrating stories in the spotlight.
Your Life Is A Demonstration Of Recovery
Not all men are meant to share their story verbally but live their recovery out through demonstration. How you choose to live your life in recovery is a demonstration of your recovery and all that is possible by maintaining abstinence from drugs and alcohol.
Today is your opportunity to begin the transformative process of recovery, bringing you to find freedom from addiction. Tree House Recovery in Portland, Oregon offers men an innovative approach to treatment, revolutionizing their story and liberating them from the limitations of addiction. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474
