Recovery Month

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.

HBO Special on Addiction to Air Next Month

Next month, HBO will launch the Addiction Project, a groundbreaking multi-media campaign to help Americans understand addiction as a treatable brain disease, spotlight new treatment advancements, and provide hope for long-term recovery. The 14-part series will air during a free HBO preview weekend, and it kicks off with a March 15 broadcast of the centerpiece documentary ADDICTION at 9 p.m. ET.

Join Together, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), and Faces & Voices of Recovery are uniting to help communities make the most of a powerful opportunity to bring the message of addiction treatment and recovery to millions of Americans. As Recovery Month partners, we hope you will join with them.

There are many ways to get involved! Host or attend a house party to view and discuss HBO's ADDICTION Project at your home or organization. Go to a town meeting where the centerpiece documentary of the series will be screened and discussed. Get a DVD copy of the 14-part series for your prevention, treatment, or recovery program.

To find out more about HBO's ADDICTION project and exciting ways you can get involved in mobilizing your community around it, visit www.AddictionAction.org.

Check out the Recovery Month 2007 home page for more information on the special and upcoming events.

NEXT WEBCAST

Wednesday, March 7: "Treatment 101"

View the Trailer

Treatment 101 Webcast

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 3.9 million persons in 2005 received some kind of treatment for a problem related to the use of alcohol or illicit drugs. Despite this achievement, an estimated 18.3 million more Americans are in need of treatment. To help meet the needs of individuals, a wide range of treatment services are available to address the problem of addiction and assist individuals in finding recovery. This show will examine the various available treatment methods, including inpatient and outpatient programs, medication-assisted therapies, and support groups for the effected individual as well as for his or her family, friends, and coworkers. The show also will address factors an individual will need to consider when selecting treatment options, and the cost-effectiveness of treatment and recovery services.

Recovery Month 2006 Results

Recovery Month 2006's successful marketing efforts spurred impressive gains in both online participation and traffic for 2006!

Each marketing category posted healthy increases over last year: 665 Events were posted (up 31%) and 139 Proclamations (up 11%).
User participation rose substantially: 60 Voices for Recovery submissions were posted (up 94%), 39 Ask the Expert questions were posed (up 290%) and nearly 5,000 Listserv members signed on (up 42%).
Online traffic scaled new heights: 15.8 million hits (up 25%) and 1.8 million visits (up 65%) in just one year!
Users demonstrated demand for state-of-the-art information delivery systems by viewing 2,340 Recovery Month podcasts since their debut in September.

We couldn't have done any of this without you!

Getting Local Officials to Sign Proclamations

Last year 139 proclamations were issued designating September as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month).This year we hope to increase that number. To do that, we need your help. Here are some steps to get your local government officials to sign an official proclamation. Remember, proclamations can be issued by governors, state legislatures, municipalities, counties, cities, or towns.

Write your proclamation ahead of time. Feel free to use the sample proclamations included on the Recovery Month Web site.
Research the appropriate official or staff member to contact-someone who has been a supporter of treatment services and recovery in the past or one you can meet with to discuss the importance of treatment and recovery issues.
Call the official's communications office three to four months in advance of your event so you have adequate time to determine the appropriate process.
Introduce Recovery Month and the details about your activities.
Follow up often, as you might not hear from the official's office for days, or sometimes weeks, at a time.

Questions

Email recoverymonth@samhsa.hhs.gov for any Recovery Month 2007 questions.

About Recovery Month

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, celebrating 18 years of observance in 2007, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). For more information about Recovery Month, visit www.recoverymonth.gov.