Celebrate Recovery Month: 15 Local and National Events for You to Participate In

Today marks the kickoff of National Recovery Month (Recovery Month). This is the 33rd year of this important awareness event which is held every September. Recovery month began in 1989, as a month-long event to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices. In addition, it celebrates and acknowledges the Nation’s recovery community, and the dedication of the service providers and communities who work in the field of addiction treatment and recovery.

In 2020, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced its decision to retire its annual convening of Recovery Month stakeholders as well as the development of future themes and assets, and the management of the events calendar. Faces & Voices of Recovery is now the official organizer of Recovery Month, and they have created a new Recovery Month website that hosts all Recovery Month events and assets that make this celebration possible. You can download shareable graphics, view the many celebration events and more on the Recovery Month website.

There’s an estimated 23+ million people whose lives have been transformed because of recovery. Since these successes largely go unnoticed, and stigma still exists, Recovery Month provides a vehicle for everyone to celebrate these accomplishments. One important way for this to occur is through the power of storytelling. Ezra Rose shares how storytelling helps to assist in prevention and in recovery in this insightful blog post, Break the Mold, The Power of Storytelling in Prevention.

Addiction Professionals work tirelessly to help those living with addiction to get on the road to recovery. There’s an estimated 20+ million people who currently have a substance use disorder who are in treatment or need treatment services. On September 20th, we celebrate addiction professionals who work in the health system and continuum of care with National Addiction Professionals Day. The day was established 30 years ago by NAADAC to commemorate all the hard work that addiction professionals do on a daily basis.

Local Events to Celebrate Recovery Month

Recovery is Good for Business on September 2 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas employers and small business owners will join Councilwoman Victoria Seaman to kick off National Recovery Month.

Mobilize Recovery launches in Las Vegas on September 5 and will travel to Pahrump and Reno on September 6.
This national bus tour will launch from Las Vegas during Labor Day weekend 2022. Mobilize Recovery Across America will depart on a cross-country bus tour, highlighting the recovery experience that is so unique in different regions throughout the country. The month-long tour will travel from the West Coast to the East Coast—and back—from September 5, 2022 to October 6, 2022.

Mobilize Recovery Reno: Public Narrative Training will be held at the Renaissance in Reno on September 6th from 12:30-4:00.
This experiential workshop will help participants to learn how to share their stories in powerful ways and how to use storytelling in leadership. This workshop is based on Public Narrative, the leadership practice taught by Professor Marshall Ganz at Harvard University, and is infused with life experience with recovery, finding resilience in mental health, and leadership. Through this narrative practice, participants will connect and build the power needed to create change for recovery. This training is free of charge and lunch will be provided. Space is extremely limited and all participants must register to attend.

Recovery Policy Collaborative will visit SAMHSA on September 14, 2022, 10:00 a.m.–⁠2:00 p.m. (EST)
Scholars will be appointed in September for the first annual Addictions Policy Scholars Program. This health policy thinktank seeks to empower a network of diverse leaders who have practical and lived experience in the field of substance use disorder, and who have been traditionally underrepresented in the public policy space. This includes people with lived experience of addiction, formerly incarcerated individuals, and members of the BIPOC community. Stay tuned for what ideas come from this important new program.

Mobilize Recovery Across America Bus Tour will arrive in Reno on September 6th from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Believe Sign in City Plaza.
Be part of one of the first stops of the nationwide Mobilize Recovery Bus Tour. Sign the bus and leave a message of hope for others in our country. Join Recovery Advocates, Leaders, and Community Members for this one of a kind event as we celebrate National Recovery Month. Enjoy an evening of connection, speakers, and resources.

NRAP’s Recovery Run/Walk and Celebration in Reno, NV on September 24th starting at 8:00 a.m.
This event was created to promote community health and wellness, celebrate individuals in recovery, and reduce the stigma associated with the disease of addiction. The R5K will provide an opportunity for participants to walk/run in honor of someone they know touched by this disease, followed by a recovery celebration open to all community members. The post-race celebration is free and open to the public regardless of 5k participation. The celebration will include food, family activities, and local guest speakers and advocates who are in recovery. Community organizations will provide information on local services and present on relevant topics. Sign-up today or become a sponsor of the event.

Recovery Color Run in Fallon on September 17
Celebrate recovery month by joining community members in this 5K Color Blast Run/Walk

Dry Society Social Club 3rd Annual Recovery Gala in Reno on September 17
The gala will feature mocktails from a sensational mixologist, live music by Tyler Strafford, a keynote speech from Kelsey Moreira of DOUGHP, an awards ceremony and dancing.

Reps4Recovery is launching their 3rd annual Reps-A-Thon beginning September 1st and culminating in an event on September 25th.
Throughout the month of September, fundraiser participants will ask donors to make a pledge on their personal campaign page, and on the final day of the fundraiser, September 25th 2022, participants will participate in the final event at Upstate Nevada Fitness at 10:30am PST (in-person or virtually) to see how many reps they can do. Reps4Recovery is a nonprofit organization, who strives to strengthen the sober community and health of recovering people who live with addiction through fitness coaching, community, and mentorship.

National Events to celebrate Recovery Month

Tipping the Pain Scale will be released on September 6, 2022.
This new documentary film follows individuals grappling with the current systemic challenges people face within their community, and their journey to develop and employ new, innovative and sometimes controversial solutions to the problem. You can host a screening or get notified of upcoming screenings in your area.

The Intersection of Prevention and Recovery: Making the Connection webinar will be held on September 7 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. (PST)

This webinar is for behavioral health professionals who are interested in exploring the problems associated with the siloing of services and its negative impact, along with the many connections between prevention and recovery. Participants will explore opportunities for collaboration and mutual support and benefit.

Recovery Rally Happens will be held in Sacramento, CA on September 7, 2022, 11:00 a.m.–⁠11:15 a.m. (EST)
Since 1992, this Rally has served to raise awareness about substance use disorder and has celebrated all community members who are in recovery. You won’t want to miss the 30th celebration of this important awareness raising awareness event.

Young Adults in Recovery – Making Small Choices, Every Day on September 30, 2022, 1:15 p.m. (EST).
This event will be Livestreamed via Zoom and on SAMHSA’s Facebook Page. The moderator will be Tom Coderre, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use at SAMHSA

Recovery Leadership Summit will be held October 2-5, 2022 in Saint Paul, MN.
This leadership summit aims to connect and help organizations around the world continue to advance, strengthen, and change the way addiction and recovery are understood and embraced through advocacy, education and leadership. Session focus areas include: Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS), Advocacy & Outreach (AO), Recovery Innovations (RI), and Organizational Wellness & Development (OWD), Recovery & Cultural Contexts (RCC), and Justice, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (J-DEI).

Recovery Month is a chance to strengthen the message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover. How will you celebrate?

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