30 - 20 - 10 - Celebrating Connections
30 – 20 – 10 – Celebrating Connections
by Neil Campbell
September 1st marks the beginning of National Recovery Month, a time when we celebrate people in recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders. This is a perfect time to reflect on how far we have come in Georgia to uplift voices for recovery, to acknowledge that for people struggling with SUD or mental illness, recovery should be the expectation, and to recognize the many recovery leaders and allies we have in communities across our State. The theme of National Recovery Month this year is “Join the Voices of Recovery – Celebrating Connections”, and in Georgia we added the tagline “Georgia Recovers Together!”
If you’ve heard me speak in public in the last few months, you know that I have recently experienced a couple of personal milestones. In July, I turned 60(!) and I also celebrated 30 years in recovery. This is a big deal. In my particular recovery pathway, we mark our time. For me, the reasons for this have changed over the years. In early recovery, I counted my time to show myself that I was able to make it through – sometimes one minute, one hour, until the sun set, until the next sunrise. When I hit the 10 year mark, I decided I didn’t need to count my time in recovery anymore until a sober friend said “Hey dumba$$, it’s not for you anymore, you share your time so that others know it’s possible. Quit being selfish, get humble and give out some hope!” Message received. When I got into my 20-something years, I just got a kick out of being able to celebrate accomplishing anything for 20+ years! And as I moved toward the 30-year mark, half of my life, I was just so filled with gratitude of what my life in recovery has become.
One of the true gifts of my recovery is that I get to work at an agency with a mission to “increase the impact of recovery through education, advocacy, training and peer recovery support services. The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse (GCSA) is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this year. GCSA began as a true community collaboration with the merger of a nonprofit organization helping individuals experiencing homelessness called “Mission New Hope” and the Georgia Association for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse (GAPTSA). The focus at that time was heavy on SUD prevention and treatment, with an emphasis on a legislative and policy agenda to increase the capacity of both. In 2008, I became the second full-time director of GCSA and each day I get to wake up and help figure out ways to create more opportunities for individuals, families, and communities to get recovery. I am so grateful for our stable and strong board of directors, many of whom have been with us from the beginning.
Today, 20 years later, GCSA employs 31 people in long-term recovery. We are the only (and first!) recovery community organization (RCO) in the State to be certified by the Council on the Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services (CAPRSS). We have a slate of activities and events to highlight the achievements of GCSA and serving people in Georgia for two decades.
National Recovery Month has been celebrated for over 30 years. Ten (10) years ago, GCSA wrote to and received a proclamation by then-President Obama, and we celebrated by collaborating with other nonprofits who acknowledged the importance of this month. In 2012, GCSA partnered with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) to create the annual Recovery Month Mini-Grant program. At the time, the Director of the Office of Leadership and Organizational Development was Erick Allen, who is currently a member of the Georgia General Assembly (HD40). Erick initially funded the Recovery Month Mini-Grant program out of his DBHDD office and had the foresight to see the wisdom of providing relatively small amounts of money to local communities in order to highlight the strength of recovery at the grassroots level. Recipients of this grant program leverage this funding to bring other community stakeholders to the table. These events reflect how recovery is expressed and supported in their respective communities and they have a broad and ever-growing reach. Many of the recipients of this grant funding have been holding events for the past 11 years and their impact is growing. Imagine all across Georgia, communities coming together to recognize and honor recovery leadership, highlight what is working and standing up to join other voices for recovery in their own, unique ways.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed many of the traditional ways to celebrate National Recovery Month. Our Recovery Month Mini-Grant program launched a bit later in the year than usual, but the excitement and innovation is proceeding and is stronger than ever (just look!). There will be several virtual events, various car rallies, and some in-person, socially distanced activities. We are promoting “safety first”, mask-wearing events so the message of recovery is conveyed while maintaining physical health and wellness. In this, our 10th year of implementing a Recovery Month Mini-Grant program, we are convinced that our State can promote “Celebrating Connections” in a safe and healthy manner.
30 years of recovery, 20 years of GCSA, and 10 years of celebrating community connections is a great way to demonstrate that recovery is stronger than any pandemic. If the resilience and durability it requires to be in long-term recovery can teach us anything, it’s that even (or especially) during a crisis, we can have a huge impact in our families, our schools, and our communities. When we speak out, others know that they can speak out too, and that recovery is possible for everyone. As you move forward in your community, please be safe, be bold and celebrate your many recovery connections!
#GARecovers #HopeDealers
