September is National Recovery Month, a time to come together, celebrate individuals in recovery and offer hope to those who are struggling. This month also reinforces the positive message that treatment works and people do recover.
During National Recovery Month, you’ll find a number of events all over the nation, such as overdose awareness events, guest speakers, color runs, 5K walks, banquets, charity events and more. You can find a calendar of events here.
In the meantime, here are five facts about addiction recovery that you should know. We are learning more and more every day, and we look forward to a time when people will be able to access the resources they need to rebuild their lives.
1. Millions of Americans have overcome addiction.
According to one study, 22.3 million people have overcome an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Not only were these individuals able to stop the cycle of substance use, but also significant improvements in quality of life were seen, as well as a decrease in psychological distress. This means that peoples’ lives get better in time. The majority of people who recover are able to go on with their lives and get a new job, complete a degree program or volunteer.
2. Starting addiction treatment young leads to better outcomes.
There are a number of factors that impact how effective treatment is, and one of them is the age a person is when they receive help. Research shows starting early appears to be key to better recovery outcomes. Though addiction treatment is effective at any age, people who are younger are able to learn life skills and coping methods to help them function better as adults.
Also, getting treatment at a younger age often means that the person has spent fewer years fighting the addiction, which means less wear and tear on the body and fewer consequences overall. If there’s something that we can learn from this, it’s that getting someone help right away is imperative to long-term success.
3. Individuals who struggle with addiction often don’t get the support they need.
Sadly, people who struggle with addiction are often viewed as being unstable or dangerous. As a result, they are much less likely to receive support from friends, family or coworkers. It’s important for people to know that addiction is a disease and it causes people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. There are also numerous social and legal barriers that stop people from rebuilding their lives. For example, people with an arrest history for drugs have a harder time getting loans for school.
Forward Health can help you overcome your addiction and lead a life of sobriety. Our goal is to not just treat our clients with medications and therapy, but also help them transition to a fulfilling life that is free of drugs and alcohol. Contact us today to learn more about moving forward with Forward Health.
