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National Recovery Month Celebration Events
2020 has been a year for the history books. Still, that does not mean that our recovery communities can’t celebrate the successes of friends and family in their sobriety journeys. National Recovery Month, sponsored and recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), was created with the mission to educate Americans on not only the stigmas faced by those recovering from substance use disorders and mental health illnesses but also to educate and empower our communities on what it means to live a healthy, rewarding life.
While events this year may look a little different, we can still come together to enjoy fellowship and honor those who have hit milestones on their way to healing from alcohol and drug addiction. If you are looking for some fun, creative ways to enjoy this month, here are a few events that we would love to celebrate with you.
- Aug. 31st – Sept. 26th: Wellness Challenges for Recovery Month – Organized by the Crawford County Overdose Prevention Coalition, this is a month-long series of weekly wellness challenges that aim to promote healthy lifestyle choices while celebrating the recovery community. “The coalition is a diverse mix of people from social services, healthcare professions, school administrators, family members, and community members, all coming together to make Crawford County free from overdoses and overdose deaths.”
- Sept. 3rd: Bridgeway, Inc. Recovery Month Virtual Event – Join Bridgeway for their virtual event with guest speaker Jan Rader. Jan is a firefighter, nurse and recovery advocate in West Virginia who serves as a member of the Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy. She is known for her 2017 Netflix documentary Heroin(e) and one of TIME’s 2018 “100 Most Influential People in the World.” You can watch her TedTalk here.
- Sept. 4th: Recovery Solutions 2020 Recovery Month Summit: Facilitating Post-Traumatic Growth with Formerly Incarcerated Individuals through Substance Use and Mental Health Counseling – This virtual summit is designed to improve participants knowledge of the carceral state and the role of mental health and substance use counseling professionals have in helping people thrive and achieve wellness post-incarceration.
“Mental health and substance use counseling in correctional settings may be limited in scope, leaving huge gaps in care that can impact wellness and one’s ability to thrive post incarceration.”
- Sept. 9th: 2020 National Recovery Month Ice Cream Social – Hosted by Civil Drug Court of Riviera Beach, this is an event for the recovery community to come together for fellowship and celebration over a sweet treat. “As the Civil Drug Court, we provide comprehensive municipal programs and services to prevent and reduce crimes associated with drug use and abuse.”
- Sept. 12th – Sept. 30th: Recovery Rocks! National Recovery Month Celebration – New Horizons Behavioral Health has organized an event to honor the recovery journey through motivating rock painting messages. By creating a special recovery message, others can find comfort in knowing they are not alone on their journey. “People paint rocks and hide rocks as a random act of kindness to create smiles and chain reactions of kindness. New Horizons Behavioral Health will celebrate Recovery Month with “RECOVERY ROCKS.” From September 12 through September 30, brightly painted rocks with uplifting messages will be placed along the (4) major walking trails in Muscogee County.”
- Sept. 19th: PACE’s 2020 Recovery Celebration & 5K Walk – This is a celebratory event dedicated to providing a central point of information for substance use treatment and recovery. There will be a variety of educational and entertaining activities along with the Shackleford Steps with Recovery 5K. “Support is essential to recovery, so it’s important that family members and community have the tools to start conversations about prevention, treatment, and recovery.”
- Sept. 20th: Williston’s 5th National Recovery Month Event – Choice Recovery Counseling wants to celebrate with you! Celebrate National Recovery Month by participating in either a 5k run/1 mile walk or a motorcycle ride! Meal, social, and silent auction by ticket following the activities. “CRC’s main goal is to build relationships with people seeking change in their life after making ineffective alcohol and drug choices.”
- Sept. 16th: National Recovery Month Virtual Block Party – The PIER Recovery Community Center presents the first-ever virtual block party to celebrate friends and family in recovery. The Three-hour celebration kicks off with special guests, artists, drag queens and performers. The event will host a virtual workshop, panel discussion, performance, and powerful recovery stories. “The PIER provides a place for the pursuit of a healthy, holistic life style through which the individual is able to achieve wellness within a matrix of new relationships based on self-understanding, mutual acceptance and self-esteem.”
- Sept. 28th – 29th: 12th Annual Indiana Recovery Month Symposium (INARMS) – Indiana Annual Recovery Month Symposium, an annual, two-day statewide conference hosted by DMHA in partnership with Overdose Lifeline, Inc. This annual conference is completely virtual this year with award-winning, neuroscience author and journalist Maia Szalavitz as the keynote speaker. “Join the Voices for Recovery: Celebrating Connections”
Still looking for more events to celebrate National Recovery Month? Check out our Promises Events page for more fun ways to engage with friends and family this month. Also, be sure you take some time to educate yourself or others on how substance use and mental health disorders affect millions of Americans each year. Check out the SAMHSA website for more educational data, materials, and ways to help your loved ones on their sobriety journeys. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]