In September, a powerful message echoes across the nation: hope and recovery are real. We come together to observe National Recovery Month, a time dedicated to supporting individuals as they navigate the journey to recovery from addiction and mental health challenges. It’s a month of acknowledging the incredible strength of the recovery community, celebrating stories that inspire hope and healing, and advocating for better access to evidence-based treatment practices.
As National Recovery Month unfolds, it’s essential to celebrate the progress made and the lives transformed through resilience and perseverance. Each story shared, every triumph celebrated, is a source of inspiration for others walking the same path. By sharing these narratives, we honor the challenges overcome and offer a guiding light to those still searching for their way.
“The contagion of addiction is transmitted through a process of infection—the movement of addiction disease from one vulnerable person to another. The contagion of recovery is spread quite differently— not through infection, but affection. Those who spread such affection are recovery carriers. Recovery carriers—because of the nature of their character and the quality of their lives—exert a magnetic attraction to those who are still suffering.” – William White.
This National Recovery Month, let us celebrate progress and inspire change. By recognizing the journeys of those who have reshaped their stories, the Hansei team has offered insights into how addiction has impacted their lives from various angles. Their stories of transformation serve as beacons of light for those seeking recovery and provide a sense of connection and understanding.
Together, we can illuminate the path to recovery for others, fostering a community of support, growth, and shared hope. Together, We are Stronger.
September marks National Recovery Month, a time when the nation unites to support individuals on their journey to recovery from addiction and mental health challenges.
July 2017 – I’m 26 and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel… there’s no happy ending for me. I’m at a close friend’s funeral, the reality of which is incomprehensible, except to think this will likely be me, soon enough.
I was in seventh grade the first time I visited my brother in treatment and it wasn’t until then that I considered how his addiction impacted me, or perhaps even acknowledged it was real, despite the trajectory of signs.
I woke up Christmas morning, 2021 feeling like death. The night before, we’d left our kids asleep at home, going to the bar after drinking the day away at our annual Christmas Eve celebration.
As kids, he made me laugh all the time, though trying to cope with feelings of abandonment and a lack of protection were patterns he knew well.
“As soon as I looked in your eyes, I knew I wasn’t going to love you,” my mother noted after one of my ‘episodes.’ “Should’ve had you aborted when the doctor gave me the chance.”
“My best friend was sober for three years when I met her in 2017, in the admissions office of a treatment center in Hollywood. Shauneen was well-known and well-loved, and I could see why. Drawn in by her radiating smile and healing laugh, I found her to be the brightest, happiest, most helpful and wonderful person I’d ever met. She’s the one who got me a job at Hansei. ”
“I grew up in the rough part of town in Texas – the part where violence happened, where shootings and stabbings were a regular occurrence, as were the beatings from my step-dad. I felt the need to protect my mom while I watched him break her nose and her collarbone, and then there was the time he pistol-whipped her so hard he split her head open.”