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September 2006 is the 17th
Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
celebration, and businesses across the country are encouraged to
participate. This month-long campaign educates that achieving recovery is a
collective effort requiring the participation of all sectors of society,
including the workplace.
Core to the Recovery Month
message is that substance use disorders are treatable, and that many people in
recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction lead
successful, productive lives, contributing positively to their workplaces
and communities. For many, a supportive work environment plays a critical role
in achieving and maintaining sobriety.
The Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
(CSAT) offers a free
Recovery Month Kit
to assist businesses and other work organizations in supporting and planning
Recovery Month activities in their communities. A new feature in this year’s
toolkit is a
fact sheet
that addresses how labor organizations can contribute to Recovery
Month and help improve access to treatment for workers with substance use
disorders.
This topic is also the subject of
a Recovery Month
Webcast
titled “Helping the Labor Movement Embrace Recovery.” The Webcast’s
panelists include two representatives to the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Drug-Free Workplace Alliance, a cooperative agreement to improve safety and
health in the construction industry through substance abuse prevention and
intervention.
For further information, the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace
program recommends a number of
steps employers can take to ensure their workplace is recovery friendly — during
Recovery Month and all year round.
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