Overview of the Celebration
Held annually in September, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). The month long observance unites public and private sector partner organizations nationwide in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders. Recovery Month also celebrates people in recovery and those who serve them. Each year, Recovery Month provides a platform for thousands of treatment programs around the country to celebrate their successes and to host events and activities that involve their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why.
In support of these efforts, SAMHSA, and more than 75 public and private sector partner organizations develop and distribute Recovery Month kits to various public and private organizations, coalitions, and agencies from a variety of disciplines including the health care, education, business, criminal justice, and government sectors, among others. This user friendly, comprehensive package of materials is designed to assist the recipients with localized efforts such as community rallies, legislative forums, and other events to promote treatment effectiveness to the media, key constituency groups, and special audiences, and through its theme, encourage communities to invest in addiction treatment services.
SAMHSA hosts a Recovery Month interactive web site where materials can be accessed electronically or ordered. In addition, news and articles are posted and events held throughout the country are listed by locality. During Recovery Month, the activities throughout the country are numerous and vary according to the resources and level of effort put forth by the national and local sponsors. For example, each September SAMHSA hosts both a national kick off media event in Washington, D.C. and live web chats and webcasts on the Recovery Month web site. Activities taking place at the local level include community forums at which experts and legislators host a dialogue about local addiction treatment issues; health and information fairs are sponsored by concerned community organizations; and other creative community based events, such as walks and runs. Many communities also focus their efforts on the placement of special news features about people in recovery and the promotion of radio and television coverage about addiction treatment related issues.
To complement the local media efforts, SAMHSA produces and/or redistributes television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) that highlight the effectiveness of treatment and encourage individuals with alcohol and drug disorders and/or their loved ones to call SAMHSA's 24 hour, toll free National Helpline, 1 800 662 HELP.
Recovery Month is the national opportunity to educate the public about the scope of the public health problem of alcohol and drug use disorders and the benefits of treatment and recovery. It's also a time when people in recovery celebrate their sobriety and help to dispel the negative stereotypes associated with those in need of treatment. According to the 2002 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse:
- An estimated 19.5 million Americans aged 12 or older were current illicit drug users in 2002, meaning they had used an illicit drug at least once during the past month. Marijuana was used by 14.6 million persons, making it the most commonly used illicit drug.
- 120 million Americans aged 12 or older were current drinkers of alcohol, while 54 million (22.9 percent) of them participated in binge drinking at least once in the past 30 days.
- 71.5 million Americans (30.4 percent of the population aged 12 or older) reported current use of a tobacco product in 2002.
- An estimated 22 million Americans in 2002 were classified with dependence on or abuse of either alcohol or illicit drugs (9.4 percent of the total population aged 12 or older).
- An estimated 3.5 million people aged 12 or older (1.5 percent of the population) received some kind of treatment for a problem related to the use of alcohol or illicit drugs in the 12 months prior to being interviewed in 2002. Of these, 2.2 million received treatment for alcohol use or dependence.
In celebration of the success of Recovery Month, each year a new theme is selected for the Recovery Month observance; the toolkit and supporting materials reflect the theme. The following report details the results of the 2003 campaign and the impact it has had on raising the public's awareness about alcohol and drug use disorders, addiction, treatment and recovery.
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