OVERVIEW
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 highlight the
societal benefits, importance, and effectiveness of drug and alcohol
treatment as a public health service. Recovery Month also
celebrates people in recovery and those who serve them. Each year,
Recovery Month provides a platform for thousands of treatment
programs and individuals around the country to celebrate their successes and
share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to
educate the public about the effectiveness of treatment, how it works, for
whom, and why. In addition, the observance aims to reduce the stigma
associated with treatment of substance abuse.
In support of these efforts, CSAT and more than 70
public and private sector partner organizations develop and distribute a
Recovery Month communications toolkit to various national
and local organizations; Federal, state, and local government agencies and
officials; grantees; professional treatment associations; and public and
private treatment organizations. This user-friendly, comprehensive package
of materials is designed to assist the recipient with localized efforts to
promote treatment effectiveness to the media, key constituency groups, and
special audiences, and through its theme, encourage communities to invest in
and expand addiction treatment services.
CSAT hosts a Recovery Month interactive
web site where materials can be downloaded or ordered, news is distributed,
and events are posted by locality. During Recovery Month,
various events are held across the country. These activities are numerous
and vary according to the resources and effort put forth by the national and
local sponsors. For example, CSAT hosts a national kick-off media event in
Washington, DC, as well as live web chats and web casts concerning
Recovery Month and treatment issues. Activities taking place at the
local level may include Community Forums at which experts and legislators
host dialogues about local addiction treatment issues; health and
information fairs sponsored by concerned community organizations; and other
creative events, such as walks and runs. Many communities also focus their
efforts on the placement of special news features about individuals in
recovery and the promotion of radio and television coverage about addiction
treatment-related issues.
To complement the local media efforts, CSAT produces a
national public service announcement (PSA) campaign that highlights the
effectiveness of treatment and encourages individuals with substance abuse
problems and/or their loved ones to call CSAT’s 24-hour, toll-free National
Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP.
Recovery Month is the national
opportunity the field has to educate the public about the enormity of the
public health problem of substance abuse and the benefits of treatment and
recovery. According to the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse:
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57
percent of people with a severe drug problemabout 2.9 million people in
need of treatment did not receive it.
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Approximately 14.8 million Americans were current
illicit drug users in 1999, meaning they used at least once in the past 30
days.
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12.4
million Americans age 12 and older in 1999 were heavy drinkers, while 6.8
million underage drinkers (ages 12-20) engaged in binge drinking (five or
more drinks on one occasion in the last 30 days), including 2.1 million of
them who could be classified as heavy drinkers.
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30.2 percent of the American population age 12
and older reported they used some form of tobacco in the past 30 days. An
estimated 1.5 million Americans were cocaine users and 200,000 were heroin
users.
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The
problems of substance abuse can even be found among our elderly population.
Misuse of prescription drugs is reportedly on the rise among older
Americans.
Each year, a new theme that highlights an
aspect of treatment and recovery is selected for Recovery Month.
The following report details the results of the 2001 campaign and the impact
it has had on raising the public’s awareness about substance abuse treatment
and recovery.
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