By: Jennifer Faringer, NCADD-RA Director

This September’s theme for National Recovery Month – strengthening families and communities – encourages community members to be socially inclusive, to offer those in need of recovery and support the chance to seek help, and to lend a hand and contribute to the community as parents, employees, students, volunteers and community leaders.

Too often individuals and families who are impacted by the chaos and despair that surrounds the disease of addiction feel shame due to the stigma that perpetuates the myth that addiction is a moral or behavioral failing rather than a medical disease. Individuals and families experience feelings of isolation. They feel that they alone must find a way to “just say no” when in fact counseling, medically assisted treatment, and recovery services are needed to ensure a successful outcome. Those impacted by addiction are encouraged to reach out to treatment and recovery services.

Families impacted by the addiction of a loved one are as strongly encouraged to reach out to prevention education and support so that they too can return their family environment to one of healing and hope.

Councils such as DePaul’s National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Rochester Area have been in the community for decades on the grassroots level. NCADD-RA is there to assist individuals in finding treatment and recovery resources and to work directly with families providing education and support! Resources, linkages and information may be found on our website at www.ncadd-ra.org.

National Recovery Month Publication

This month, NCADD-RA celebrates recovery with a new publication entitled “Enough: An Anthology of Poems about Addiction and Related Emotional Struggles”. Copies are available by contacting Elaine Alvarado at ealvarado@depaul.org for a minimum donation of $5 to cover printing costs.

Local Events

NCADD-RA was a proud partner with SOARS who held their Annual Scotty B. Overdose Awareness Event on August 31^st in Rochester.

In September, NCADD-RA is proudly joining the ranks of community sponsors in support of the Annual ROCovery Fitness 5K Family Run/Walk Event scheduled for Saturday, September 23 in Seneca Park. This event will provide activities for all ages and abilities as well as a wide variety of community resources and linkages.

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Join our staff at NCADD-RA as we celebrate this month and throughout the year the hope of recovery, as we provide prevention education services in our schools and communities for youth and adults, and as we referral those in need of services to the appropriate counseling, treatment, self-help and recovery support services.

For more information, please visit ncadd-ra.org.