September is Recovery Month
Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, substance abuse prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover. The national September observance of Recovery Month has evolved since its original conception in 1989. The purpose is to highlight individuals who have reclaimed their lives and are living happy and healthy in long-term recovery. It also honors the prevention, treatment, and recovery service providers who make addiction recovery possible.
Each September, thousands of prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and services around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues. Included is an effort to educate the public about recovery, how it works, for whom, and why. The lives of many addicts have been transformed through recovery, but these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population. Recovery Month provides a vehicle to celebrate these accomplishments.
Though drug addiction touches millions of addicted individuals and their families, few realize the widespread effects of drug addiction and the need for recovery. Statistics on drug use can be surprising. Here are just a few of the facts and statistics surrounding drug use in the United States.
◾Drug addiction is responsible for and implicated in nearly 20,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. In fact, nearly 1,500 individuals addicted to drugs die every week across the country.
◾Drug addiction affects nearly six percent of those residing in the US, with cocaine and amphetamines cited as the two most popular drugs of choice, after marijuana.
◾According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), nearly two million visits to emergency departments across the country involved the use of illegal drugs.
Once a person with substance use disorderion has developed, many individuals find themselves unable to cease using drugs without help; this including alcohol and prescription medications. For many drug users, psychological treatment and physical detoxification in a sober, supportive environment, allows them to enter recovery and embark upon a lifetime of better physical and mental health. Enrollment in a residential addiction recovery program is often the best option to gain a firm foundation on recovery. For those without access to residential treatment, drug addiction counseling is a readily available option as is outpatient rehabilitation.
If you or someone that you love is addicted to drugs and needs help, please seek confidential, professional advice for more information on developing a positive recovery plan.
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