National Recovery Month is here
What is National Recovery Month?
National Recovery Month takes place in September and is an important time for us to acknowledge the number of people who experience substance use disorders across the United States and the rest of the world. There are approximately 20 million people across the US with a substance use disorder. Very few receive the treatment that they need due to lack of resources. As a result, it is vital that we help as many people as possible gain access to treatment if they are ready to begin their recovery journey.
How to Begin Treatment
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that someone has begun recovery when they start to address their personal life challenges without the use of substances, separate their own problems from others by creating personal boundaries and have some kind of support and way to restore their own energy. Consequently recovery requires a lot of bravery for a person to confront and accept their disorder.
Types of Substance Use Disorders
The most common substance use disorders in the United States are related to alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, stimulants, hallucinogens and opioids. Alcohol use disorder outnumbers the others. In addition, you can also have multiple substance use disorders at the same time – which need to be tackled separately in order to fully recover. For instance, substance use disorders usually go hand in hand with mental health disorders; one often feeds off of the other. In order to aid recovery everything must be addressed.
How to Help Those in Need
If you know someone who is has a substance use disorder, there are many things that you can do to encourage them. You can suggest activities to do together, contact them on a regular basis and focus on the person, not the illness. It can be hard to support someone through their recovery journey. Therefore, it’s important to take time and care for yourself.
How to get professional treatment
There are many different ways to combat substance use disorders and each person is different. Please contact the professional team at Lifeline Connections. You can visit Lifelineconnections.org, our Services & Locations information or call (360) 397-8246 for more information.
Source: https://www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month
