SAMHSA’s Road to Recovery Update

The Road to Recovery Update keeps you informed about activities leading up to National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) in September. Feel free to forward this information to friends and colleagues, include it in newsletters or listservs, or link to it from your Web site by going to Road to Recovery Updates.

Help us to continue to grow in our efforts to improve the lives of individuals and their families affected by alcohol and drug use disorders!

Last chance to submit questions for the July Ask the Expert: Pamela Rodriguez, M.A., President, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities

As president of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Pam Rodriguez oversees service delivery to nearly 30,000 individuals referred to TASC by Illinois courts, corrections, and child welfare systems each year. She also directs new program development, quality assurance, research, and public policy activities. Ms. Rodriguez has more than 25 years' experience in program development, implementation, clinical service delivery, quality improvement, and administration. An expert in managing effective service delivery within complex service systems, she serves as liaison between TASC, large public systems, treatment and other service providers, and state and Federal funding entities.

Questions for the July Road to Recovery Webcast, Treatment and the Justice System: Preventing Problems and Ensuring Recovery, are due by Friday, July 17, 2009. To view the July Webcast, visit the Recovery Month Web site.

Submit your questions to Ms. Rodriguez by using the Recovery Month Contact Us form. Answers from Ms. Rodriguez will be posted on the Ask the Expert page in early August. Contact information for questions will be kept confidential.

Announcing the August Road to Recovery Webcast: The Social Services System: Supporting Treatment and Recovery for Individuals and Families

Premiers August 5, 2009: Join host, Ivette Torres, as the August Road to Recovery Webcast examines ways in which social services effectively deliver assistance—via foster care, housing, job training, medical care, veteran support, for example—to those who need it, including the children and families of those with substance use disorders. A recovery-oriented system of care includes all sectors of society working together to support recovery for an individual and for members of that person's family. Social services are a critical link in this chain of support; they can help identify addiction and affected family members, direct individuals to appropriate treatment and recovery support services, and support those already in recovery. The program also offers tips on how to improve cooperation with other sectors of society.

Post Your Events and Urge State and Local Officials to Submit Proclamations!

Gather attention and support for your Recovery Month events, and the milestone of the nationwide campaign’s 20th anniversary, from key leaders in your community to elevate the general public’s and media’s attention to the issue. Sponsor community events, which can be held all year long, to increase the education and understanding of addiction, treatment, and recovery issues. In addition, ask your state and local officials to issue proclamations recognizing September as Recovery Month. Start planning and posting your events, proclamations, and observances.

2009 Recovery Month Public Service Announcements Available on our Web Site

Recovery Month is pleased to announce the posting of our 2009 radio and television public service announcements (PSAs). Please visit 2009 PSAs to view the English and Spanish television PSAs, Black and White in Color and Making Sense, and the radio PSAs, Homework and Making Sense. In addition, open-ended versions of the television and radio PSAs were produced so communities can localize the PSAs with local information. To order copies of the television and radio PSAs, please contact recoverymonth@samhsa.hhs.gov.

New! Expanded Features on the Recovery Month Web site

The 2009 Recovery Month Toolkit is now easier than ever to navigate, view, and download. A tutorial video, hosted by Ivette Torres, shows you the materials included in the toolkit, how to navigate it, and where to find exactly what you are looking for. Visit the Web site, view the video, and access the toolkit.

Community Events can now be searched for by state, zip code, title, and location (within a 10- to 100-mile distance). The new event planner account system allows event planners to submit multiple events, edit events, and post events easily each year based on the previous year’s and events’ information.

Resources and Special Topics can be searched by subject or audience. Previous years’ Recovery Month Targeted Outreach pieces, as well as other special topics are available.

Coming Soon: Recovery Month Launches a Facebook Page!

Recovery Month is launching a Facebook page! On our Facebook page, we will highlight your Recovery Month events (which are posted on our Web site), pictures, videos, and PSAs; provide you with updates on our Recovery Month activities, and encourage you to get involved with Recovery Month. We look forward to seeing you on Facebook!

The 2009 Recovery Month Toolkit, Posters, and Flyers Are Now Available Online and in Print!

Recovery Month is pleased to announce the release of the 2009 Recovery Month Toolkit designed to help you plan and publicize your activities during Recovery Month in September and throughout the year. The toolkit is available on our Web site and includes three sections:

			Media Outreach offers tips for planning and promoting your Recovery Month activities.
			Targeted Outreach offers details about substance use disorders, tailored for specific audiences.
			Resources can help you prepare for your Recovery Month events, as well as consider potential partnerships with other organizations to share resources. The 2009 toolkit can be ordered by calling 1-800-662-HELP and will be available online within the next week for ordering and downloading.

To help you promote Recovery Month, posters and small and large flyers that outline the 2009 Recovery Month campaign, as well as the 2008 Recovery Month successes, are also available for download at Banners, Logos, and Flyers.

All Recovery Month 2009 materials are available for order by calling 1-800-662-HELP or visiting Publications and Ordering. Download and order yours today!

Recovery Month Wants to Post Your Press Releases, News, Studies, and Reports, and Other Information

Recovery Month is interested in posting your news, press releases, studies, reports, calls for releases, and other information on our new Web site. If you have materials related to substance use disorders, treatment, and recovery, please send them to recoverymonth@samhsa.hhs.gov.

Please Join In The Rooms—An Online Social Networking Site for the Recovery Community

Join In The Rooms—the Web's newest and most comprehensive social networking site for the worldwide recovery community. In The Rooms provides resources for people seeking help or treatment, for people in recovery, and for friends, family, and allies of those in recovery. You can join online meetings and affinity groups, browse the library for articles, connect with other resources for recovery, and take an active role in promoting recovery. Join here: http://www.intherooms.com/.

About Recovery Month

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, celebrating 20 years of observance in 2009, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. For more information about Recovery Month, visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov.