For those of you confronting addiction issues during the holiday season, your own or others’, SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) is a great resource.
Every year, they launch a different, recovery-related theme in September, with “Recovery Month,” which continues throughout the year. This year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: It’s Worth It,” emphasizes the same core principle as the Drinking Diaries blog: Sharing your stories is the key to helping yourself and others.
This is the idea behind the drinking interviews we post every Wednesday on the blog: You never know whose story you might identify with, or who you might learn from. For someone who comes from a family of heavy drinkers, it might be a revelation that some families are indifferent to alcohol. For someone who is baffled by our culture’s fixation with drinking, it might be illuminating to read about why some women love to drink, and how they manage their drinking lives.
The website, RecoveryMonth.gov is full of helpful tips, links and information. For example, it led me to an article that described the most useful addiction apps (Pocket Sponsor, iPromises, and Anne–12 Step Program Apps).
Here are some other things to do and read on the website:
1) Share your own story (anonymously or not) as part of their Voices for Recovery.
2) Help SAMHSA gather useful information by taking an anonymous Recovery Survey.
3) The Recovery Toolkit provides important resources and information. For example, you can find guidance in setting up recovery-themed events, such as a Recovery Walk.
4) Connect with SAMHSA on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
