September: National Recovery Month
By: Tracy Harris Staff Writer
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) aims to increase public awareness surrounding mental health and the recovery from substance use disorder (SUD.)
National Recovery Month is held in September. It helps promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery possible.
Recovery Month began the same year Sir Tim Berners-Lee put his ideas on paper and introduced the World Wide Web-1989. In the 35 years since then, many things have changed!
A generation of “What goes on in this house, stays in this house” has been replaced by a generation of “If you see something, say something.”
Schools had a classroom full of special needs children and everyone else was in gen-ed. Now, they’re all in the inclusive class, but “no child is left behind.”
People refer to pound signs as hashtags. Those hashtags have helped raise awareness about lots of things- especially suicide, mental health issues, and substance use disorder.
The internet went from dial-up to lightning-fast. The speed at which we can find the needed resources has saved countless lives.
Since Recovery Month launched, SAMHSA has timed announcements of initiatives and grant funding, while collaborating with various entities to celebrate individuals during their long-term recoveries.
SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery hosts free virtual events throughout September every year month to celebrate and educate. Anyone can register for the events below at www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month/events.
The remaining events this year are 19th- The Interface of Peer Support and Person-Centered Planning; 23rd-Generational Trauma to Generational Healing in Native Communities; 25th- Improving Access to Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Support; and 27th- Art of Recovery.
A Little History
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), in layman’s terms, is used by medical professionals to diagnose and classify all mental disorders. The DSM-5, released in 2013, is where Substance Use Disorder was first introduced. SUD is a single category that ranges from mild to severe. In the previous version, two categories, substance misuse and substance dependence.
Alcohol was treated exactly the same way in the DSM-4 and DSM-5. Alcohol Abuse Disorder was also introduced in 2013. It was also changed from alcohol misuse and alcohol dependence to a single category, ranging from mild to severe.
Words like alcoholic, addict, dependence, addiction, and alcoholism have a stigma surrounding them. Related medical terminology had been changed, clarified, and updated in recent years leading up to the publication. Workers in mental health and treatment felt that research warranted the updates in terminology.
Substance Use Disorder
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has one of the best definitions of substance use disorder (SUD) available. Their website describes SUD as a diagnosed mental health condition that causes people to have difficulty controlling their use of alcohol or drugs. Untreated, this unhealthy use can begin to have negative effects on many aspects of life.
It also says that SUD covers a broad range of substances and that “a clinical diagnosis may specify the type of SUD, such as alcohol use disorder, cannabis use disorder, opioid use disorder or stimulant use disorder.”
Mental Health/Illness
Mental health includes one’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It affects how people think and feel, as well as how people act.
A person’s mental health determines how they will handle things like stress, relating to others, and making choices on a daily basis.
No matter which stage of life you are in – childhood, adolescence, or adulthood – taking care of your mental health is important.
Mental illnesses are disorders that range from very mild to very severe. There are a lot of things that contribute to mental illness including genetics, trauma, brain chemistry, abuse, and more. Nearly one-in-five adults live with a mental illness according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Co-Occurring: Mental Health & SUD
Mental health problems and SUD can occur together. This is called co-occurring disorders. More than one in four adults who a serious mental health problem also have a substance use disorder, usually because:
- Some substances can cause people with SUD to experience symptoms of a mental health problem
- Mental health problems can lead to alcohol or drug use, as some people with a mental health problem may misuse substances as a form of self-medicating
- Mental health and SUD share some underlying causes (changes in the brain, genetics, childhood/adolescent trauma)
Four Parts of Recovery (according to SAMHSA)
- Health– Overcoming or managing the disease or symptoms (abstinence from substance abuse/alcoholism, etc.) and for everyone in recovery making choices that support physical and emotional well-being
- Home– Having a stable and safe place to live
- Purpose – Conducting meaningful daily activities (job, school, volunteering, family caretaking) and the independence, income, and resources to participate in society
- Community– Having relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope
Resources
There is no one-size-fits-all for helping a family member or friend who is using drugs, drinking too much, or dealing with mental illness, but research shows support plays a huge role in helping loved ones with mental and substance use disorders. Evidence shows that some people are more likely to develop these issues (based on genetics), and may even be at a greater risk based on the environment they grew up in. Families should be open to things like support groups and counseling.
Marshall County has various twelve-step meetings: Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Celebrate Recovery, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Many of these have resources online as well.
The Marshall County Prevention Coalition meets at the library on the third Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. The coalition has a Facebook page and group under their name where they post frequent events and resources.
For additional resources, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text your zip code to 435748-HELP4U.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a HelpLine available Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. by calling 800-950-6264 or texting “helpline” to 62640.
NAMI crisis services are also available 24/7 by dialing and texting 988.
There is never a reason to feel alone when so many resources are available. You just have to reach out to someone.
