Amplify Your Expertise for the month of September 2013 is
focusing on National Recovery Month. This observance began in 1989 with the
mission to educate the nation on the benefits of treatment for mental health
and addiction resulting in achieving happy healthy lives. National Recovery
Month is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration “SAMHSA.” For more information on National Recovery Month please
check www.recoverymonth.gov
As a child of a parent who suffered from both substance
abuse addiction and mental health problems, I know the journey to recovery can
be difficult. Although the addict feels that it is their journey they fail to
realize that there’s always someone who takes that journey with them. For many
years I watched my mother rise and fall in her journey to be free from the hold
of drugs and mental health problems. It was so embarrassing to see my mother
using her apartment as a place to use drugs and how frightened I was to see her
walking down the center of the street with nothing but a gown on declaring she
was in her right mind. There are many stories that come to mind in her journey
to recovery but what is important is that she did indeed recover and in her
recovery process our family was allowed to do the same. If you or someone you
know is or has been in this situation don’t let them go through it alone. Your
presence on their journey just may be the catalyst to help them fight a little harder.
-VHHughes
