Posts Tagged National Recovery Month

Recovery Month: Beating Addiction Means Freedom

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Rehabilitation on September 19th, 2011

September is National Recovery Month, and across America, those who have gone through addiction – and beat it – look back at their experiences, and have renewed appreciation for having that part of their life behind them.

The 1st Fine Art and Written Word Extravaganza was presented by the Kane County Drug Rehabilitation Court.

drug abuse recoveryThe art show showcased various mediums of expressions – poems, essays, drawings, paintings, and collages, all of which illustrated the suffering and waste associated with addiction to alcohol or drugs. A statement on one of the entries rang true: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but everyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Judge Patricia Piper Golden, presiding judge at Kane County drug court, shared that the event provided recovering addicts with the opportunity to share their creativity. Judge Golden shared: “What we try to do in drug court is to replace using behavior with positive behavior, and to do that, they go through treatment… An important part is to get to know each other without using.”

One of the drug court poems was from Eric D., who wrote: “Recovery, for me, has truly changed my life… Each day is brighter than the next … . Now I work an honest job, pay taxes and bills … . It’s nice to live a ‘normal’ life. This was all impossible while still using.”

Ed W., on the other hand, shared: “I would do whatever I needed/To get a fix/And I must admit it’s not worth/All of this… Not any more/That life is not for me/I have found life is so much/Easier drug free.”

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Global Awareness Campaign to Fight Substance Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on September 12th, 2009

SPSARV

A yearlong awareness campaign to fight substance abuse and related violence is being launched by the United Methodist Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV). National Recovery Month, the annual US observance in this month is serving as a channel to start the global initiative. This year’s theme is “Together We Learn, Together We Heal” and its objective is to uphold the necessity of spreading the awareness about substance abuse and also the importance of developing and accessing effective treatment and recovery services. The target group of this awareness campaign is the church leaders who will be encouraged to effectively respond to issues related to substance abuse in their congregations and communities.

The activities of SPSAVR in collaboration with the General Board of Church and Society’s Alcohol, Other Addictions and Health work area includes advocating for public policy on substance abuse and related violence. It works through its United Methodist Inter-Agency and Standing Committee Task Force to distribute resources throughout the global church.

The World Health Organization estimates that globally there are 76.3 million people suffering from alcohol related problems and 15.3 million people suffering due to substance abuse. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2007 around 20.8 million people in the country were in need of treatment services for alcohol or substance abuse problem but had no access to it.

Melissa H Davis, executive director of SPSARV said, “We hope the campaign will demonstrate to United Methodists throughout our church’s connectional system the sheer magnitude of the global alcohol and drug problem and encourage congregations to launch addiction ministries and advocate for just public policies in response.”     

The campaign will distribute educational articles to educate church leaders on issues related to substance abuse, identify clergy who are working for the cause and also disseminate The Big Book.

If you wish to have more information on SPSARV, you may please visit www.umspsarv.org.

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