A Special Message of Hope During COVID-19 from Neil Campbell #GARecovers

This is a historic time for Georgia and the Georgia recovery community. COVID-19 is real and it is serious. However, the entire team at Georgia Council on Substance believes that this too shall pass. There are better days ahead. As people in long-term recovery, we know the power of hope and the significance of staying connected with each other, our families, allies and communities.

During this unprecedented time, it is essential that all of us follow the advice of public health experts and make the needed sacrifices now to ensure that recovery occurs at both a personal and community level.

The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse is very thankful for our key strategic partners during this crisis. Commissioner Judy Fitzgerald and her team at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) are leading with strength and vision to support the Georgia recovery community.

We also appreciate the leadership of Governor Brian Kemp and are thankful for the bi-partisan leadership of the General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery for keeping substance use disorders in mind during the planning and policy discussions in these uncertain times.

Georgia’s Congressional Delegation has worked in a bi-partisan manner to support the federal  CARES Act, and we look forward to working with them as Congress moves forward with additional legislation in response to COVID-19. We hope that any additional legislation going forward addresses the most vulnerable of us, including people living in rural areas and those who are without home or shelter.

We thank all of our partners, colleagues and allies across the state who are working to make certain that Georgia’s public safety net for behavioral health, especially, substance use disorder and mental health recovery, remains strong during COVID-19.

Be assured, the team at the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse will continue to operate the CARES Warm Line, provide Virtual All Recovery Meetings and Recovery Town Halls, support the statewide network of Addiction Recovery Support Centers and Recovery Community Organizations, and continue to empower the peer recovery workforce by supporting our CARES statewide. We will also advocate for those polices the Georgia recovery community needs as COVID-19 impacts our communities.

COVID-19 is a serious challenge.  We have learned that recovery is stronger than the virus and that by working together, embracing new opportunities, and connecting as we can, we will overcome this challenge, grow, and endure. We are a resilient community that has proven we can come back from any difficulty we face.

We are all working from our homes, staying connected via technology, embracing self-care and maintaining our personal recovery programs. The CARES Warm Line is open at 1-844-326-5400, our social media is active, our Virtual All Recovery Meetings are expanding, and our Recovery Town Halls are now weekly. Your friends at the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse  are here for the Georgia recovery community and we are here for you.

For Georgia,

Neil Campbell

#GARecovers #HopeDealers