Honoring Recovering Addicts During National Recovery Month

Have you heard? September is National Recovery Month. Millions of people around the world are recovering addicts. During the month of September, we celebrate and honor individuals who took charge of their lives and sought help and treatment for their addictions. This year, National Recovery Month is celebrating its 27th year, and organizers are focusing on highlighting the achievements of people who managed to conquer their addictions and reclaim their lives. By observing their progress, more people can learn just how effective treatment can be. They can learn that prevention does indeed work and that addicts can recover.

In addition to honoring the bravery and progress of recovering addicts, this is also a time when treatment facilities, families, and members of the public are busy raising awareness and educating people about the treatment and mental health services available to addicts. One of the campaign’s goals is to provide assistance to those fighting with addiction so they can go on to live healthy lives.

The Theme for National Recovery Month 2017

Every year, campaign officials carefully develop the theme for National Recovery Month so it best fits with what they want to accomplish. This year the theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen Families and Communities.” With this family-oriented theme, organizers are highlighting the importance of having a strong support network and caring family throughout the duration of the recovery process. To make this year’s theme more impactful, people in recovery are being invited to events throughout the month to share their stories of success with the hopes of encouraging others to seek treatment.

Addiction Can Happen to Anyone, Even Nurses

Just because someone works in the healthcare industry doesn’t mean they’re not susceptible to developing an addiction to something. It’s also not uncommon for nurses and doctors to be recovering addicts. Take Skyla Nieves, for example. After battling with addiction for years, she managed to turn her life around when she made the decision to pursue a career as a nurse. Prior to signing up for classes, she spent years smoking crack and shooting heroin, and she even lived on the streets from time to time. Eventually, her life got to the point where she no longer feared death. That’s when Skyla knew she needed to make some serious changes to her lifestyle, so she did.

What she did next on page 2