Posted: 9/14/05
By Tom Koplitz
Executive Director of Community Partnership
September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Month. This is the first in a series of articles focusing on addiction, recovery and prevention.
Millions of Americans have substance use disorders. Millions more live in households with people who have had problems with alcohol and other drugs. As many as 63% of Americans say that addiction to alcohol or other drugs has had an impact on them at some point in their lives. This impact could be a friend, a family member, a relationship or an experience/incident.
Like other chronic disorders, substance use disorders are medical conditions that can be treated effectively. And once treated, its not only the person recovering from substance abuse disorders that benefit. Itís also their families, friends and communities that benefit from the healing that can occur when an affected person begins the path to recovery.
It makes sense that if we all benefit, we should all take on some responsibility. Getting people with substance use disorders into treatment programs and providing access to other support services is the responsibility of the entire community. Healing alcohol and drug addiction takes education and action. Here are two things you can do:
ï educate yourself about the signs to look for in friends, family members and co-workers, such as a sudden decline in performance or attendance at work or school, or sudden changes in behavior or personality;
ï educate yourself about the available services and resources in your community to help people struggling with substance use and abuse;
We all have an important role to play in healing lives, families and communities. Helping just one person achieve recovery from a substance abuse disorder can improve many lives.
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