September is Addiction Recovery Month

Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month), sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Recovery Month has inspired millions of people to work to raise awareness about addiction, share their stories of recovery, and assist others who are struggling with addiction to seek treatment.

During Recovery Month each September, communities across the country join together to help people recognize that substance abuse disorders and addiction are treatable medical conditions and that abusing alcohol or drugs is not a personal weakness or a moral failing.

In 2008 an estimated 23.1 million people needed treatment for an alcohol or illicit drug use problem yet research shows only 3.9 million people nationwide received some kind of substance abuse treatment during this time. Millions of people struggling with addiction did not get the help they needed due to the feelings of shame related to their abuse and dependence, the financial cost of care and the lack of availability of quality treatment options.

Our country is moving away from the negative stigma traditionally associated with dependence and addiction to the acceptance of the medical model of addiction with a strong commitment to quality treatment programs and access to care. The 2008 expansion of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, required equitable consideration of mental health and substance use disorders in health insurance plans opening the door to vital treatment services.

Recovery Month aims to ensure that all those affected by addiction are aware of treatment options and can seek treatment so they can reclaim their lives in recovery. To read the stories of people who have achieved success in their journey for recovery log onto www.recoverymonth.gov.

The Needham Public Health Department is committed to educating our residents about addiction and the benefits of treatment and recovery programs which are as effective as treatment for other chronic health conditions. We encourage you to share this information with friends and family, addiction affects our entire community, together we can help people, families, and our entire community, together we can learn about addiction and begin to heal.

We are available, by phone or individual meeting, to assist you in accessing treatment services in our area and to provide substance education information, group and individual counseling resources, peer support meetings and consultation on in-patient treatment programs. Please contact Carol Read, M.Ed C.A.G.S at the Needham Public Health Department Health Department at 781-455-7500 (259) or cread@needhamma.gov. You can also learn more at www.needhamma.gov/health/substanceabuse.

You can also access treatment, and recovery information at SAMHSA's Web site http://www.samhsa.gov, and by calling SAMHSA's 24-hour national helpline, 1-800-662-HELP.