Recovery from addiction: not giving up no matter the odds 
"Our recovery is based on sharing our experience, strength and hope with each other, that we may solve our common problem; more importantly, our continued sobriety depends upon helping others to recover from alcoholism."
From the Alcoholics Anonymous Web site
The recovery information contained on these pages was excerpted from the National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month website developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Go to www.recoverymonth.gov to read inspiring stories of recovery from addiction; people that didn't give up despite the odds.
Addiction is treatable; recovery is possible
Dependence on alcohol and/or drugs is a widespread health and social problem that, in some way, negatively affects as much as 69 percent of the country, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Millions of people suffer from substance use disorders every day, sometimes for years. A substance use disorder means that a person is dependent on or abuses alcohol and/or drugs, including prescription drugs. Specifically, in 2006, an estimated 22.6 million people aged 12 or older (9.2 percent of the population) had a substance use disorder in the past year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The facts show it is not uncommon and can affect people regardless of their age, race, gender, ethnicity, class, employment status,or community.
Substance use disorders are treatable diseases. Up to 70 percent of patients in treatment for alcohol dependence are successful, cocaine treatment is successful for 60 percent, and opiate treatment is successful for up to 80 percent of those in treatment, reported the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis Universityt.
People make substantial progress through treatment and recovery, and success can be compared with that of other chronic, relapsing conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension. Since substance use disorders can be a recurring, chronic disease, a person might experience more than one round of intense treatment before long-term recovery is possible.
People in recovery and the general public recognize that stigma, shame, and discrimination against people with substance use disorders and in recovery are problems that must be solved.
The survey found that receiving treatment can increase the probability of obtaining employment and increasing earnings. Additionally, reported job problems, including incomplete work, absenteeism, tardiness, work-related injuries, mistakes,and disagreements with supervisors are cut by an average of 75 percent among employees who have received treatment for substance use disorders.
Substance use disorders are a reality in the United States. However, treatment is available and recovery is possible. By encouraging and publicizing the discussion of substance use disorders and sharing stories of real people in long-term recovery, communities and family members can support and encourage those with substance use disorders to get better. In doing so, people are helping to enrich lives, while improving health and celebrating the real recovery of addicted individuals and their families throughout the country.
Talk about recovery and help elimiate stigma
Recovery is possible when a long-lasting commitment is made; however, relapse is possible. Just as someone who is being treated for asthma might struggle with staying healthy, relapse does not mean that treatment will never work or the person is not making an effort to succeed. Recovery from a substance use disorder can be a long-term process requiring multiple episodes of treatment, according to research through the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Substance use disorders can be isolating for people suffering from them, as well as for their families. All involved may suffer from health consequences or face stigma and discrimination. An alcohol and/or drug addiction can become so consuming that many people lose sight of what really matters. In addition to becoming separated from their communities, people with substance use disorders often detach from their families, whose needs also must be addressed throughout the recovery process.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) makes it a priority to raise awareness about these issues and celebrate those who have entered a path of recovery, as well as their families.
What a differe nce a friend or family member makes!
Families and friends can be instrumental in helping individuals pick up the pieces from addiction and put their lives back together through treatment and long-term recovery. Substance use disorders are family diseases, since the consequences of addiction and importance of long-term recovery affect all members of the family. Relapse is possible and it is important for families to understand that recovery from a substance use disorder can be a long-term process requiring multiple episodes of treatment. The treatment and recovery process can be healing for the entire family, and it is important to have individualized care addressing the specific needs of the family for a more successful treatment and long-term recovery.
Family members can help motivate their loved ones to access treatment and celebrate their successes in long-term recovery. Treatment and recovery support programs can make a difference in engaging family members and utilizing a family's strengths and resources to promote a lifestyle without alcohol and drugs. These programs also can help families recognize their own needs, provide healing for each other, and help prevent substance use disorders from moving from one generation to another.
The Alcoholics Anonymous Difference
Almost all persons working on recovery from addiction seek support from Alcoholics Anonymous. At meetings A.A. members share their recovery experience with anyone seeking help with a drinking problem, and give person-to-person services or "sponsorship" to the alcoholics coming to A.A.
The A.A. program, as set forth in the Twelve Steps to recovery, offers the alcoholic an opportunity to develop a satisfying way of life free from alcohol.
Go to the AA website at www.aa.org to find the nearest meeting.
Learn more
For the "Think Outside the Stigma Fact Sheet" click here. Prepared with the support of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services.
For the "Think Outside the Stigma Addiction Myths" click here. Prepared with the support of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services.
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Portage County Resources for Recovery
Townhall II
24-Hour Numbers
1-866-449-8518
330-678-3748
Townhall II promotes the health, wellness, and recovery of individuals and communities through prevention, education, advocacy, intervention, and treatment. The vision of Townhall II is of a community with the support, resources, and skills to choose, achieve, and maintain the optimum health, safety, and security of all its citizens.
Alcohol and Drug Counseling Services include:
- Assessments
- Individual counseling
- Intensive outpatient treatment groups
- Aftercare groups
- Dual diagnosis counseling
www.townhall2.com
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
www.aa.org
Finding AA Meetings: www.aa.org
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Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous sprang from the Alcoholics Anonymous Program of the late 1940s, with meetings first emerging in the Los Angeles area of California, USA, in the early Fifties. The NA program started as a small US movement that has grown into one of the world's oldest and largest organizations of its type. NA's earliest self-titled pamphlet, known among members as "the White Booklet," describes Narcotics Anonymous this way:
"NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We ... meet regularly to help each other stay clean. ... We are not interested in what or how much you used ... but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help."
Membership is open to all drug addicts, regardless of the particular drug or combination of drugs used. When adapting AA's First Step, the word "addiction" was substituted for "alcohol," thus removing drug-specific language and reflecting the "disease concept" of addiction.
www.na.org
Al-anon and Alateen
The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems. The organization's members believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid recovery. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions. Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. Members practice the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic.
www.al-anon.alateen.org
Addiction Survivors
AddictionSurvivors.org is a not-for-profit organization (501c3 tax exempt status pending) dedicated to providing peer support communities for those with addiction disorders and their families and friends. These forums are funded in whole by individuals whose lives have been touched by addiction in one way or another.
www.addictionsurvivors.org
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services
Alcohol and drug addiction programs are coordinated statewide by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS). The state agency also sets standards of care and implements state law in relation to alcohol/drug treatment services.
The department's mission is "to provide statewide leadership in establishing a high quality addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services system of care that is effective, accessible and valued by all Ohioans." Its long-term vision is to realize an addiction-free Ohio that promotes health, safety, and economic opportunity.
ODADAS is responsible for the development of a comprehensive statewide plan, emphasizing abstinence as its primary goal, to distribute federal and state funds for the prevention and treatment of alcohol and other drug addictions.
www.odadas.state.oh.us.gov
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
www.samhsa.gov
National Mental Health Information Center
1-800-789-2647, 1-866-889-2647 (TDD)
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Find "Inform yourself" and click on "Recovery"
www.nami.org
Wellness Recovery Action Plan
WRAP is the Wellness Recovery Action Plan developed by Mary Ellen Copeland. It is a great tool that promotes individual wellness and recovery. WRAP involves an individual creating a plan that utilizes supportive people, individual choice, self-determination and activities that promote wellness.
The plan helps the individual identify symptoms that trigger a change from wellness. It outlines how the person can address the changes with tools and guidance that work for him or her. A plan for a crisis situation is also developed and in many cases the plan can be used to prevent a crisis. In event of a crisis, a post crisis plan is developed.
WRAP workshops are held periodically in Portage County. Call the Mental Health & Recovery Board for more information at 330-673-1756, ext. 201 or click here to send email.
www.mentalhealthrecovery.com
BRIDGES
Building Recovery through Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support
The peer-to-peer education program provides participants with detailed information about the brain, mental illness, treatments and medications. The class works on listening skills and advocacy to help participants talk with doctors, counselors and other health professionals. Class members learn how to build effective support networks.
Sponsored by the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County, the BRIDGES generally run for five weeks, twice per week, each time for two and a half hours. The program is free.
To sign up for the class, call the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County at 330-673-1756, ext. 201, or click here to send email.
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