{"id":5501,"date":"2023-03-27T16:53:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T20:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gc4recovery.org\/?p=5501"},"modified":"2023-03-27T16:53:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T20:53:55","slug":"recovery-gives-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gc4recovery.org\/gc4rnewwebsite20\/recovery-gives-back\/","title":{"rendered":"RECOVERY GIVES BACK"},"content":{"rendered":"

RECOVERY GIVES BACK<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Neil Campbell, Executive Director, Person in Recovery<\/p>\n

Georgia Council for Recovery<\/p>\n

More than 107,000 deaths due to opioid overdose were reported in the United States between January 2021 to\u00a0<\/span>January 2022. According to the\u00a0<\/span>Georgia Department of Public Health<\/span><\/a>, all drug overdose deaths in Georgia increased by 61.9 percent from 2019 to 2021. The extremely powerful opioid, fentanyl, appears to be driving these increases. From 2019 to 2021, fentanyl-involved overdose deaths increased by an incredible 232.1 percent. \u00a0DPH<\/a>\u00a0also\u00a0<\/span>reports that 2,202 Georgians died from alcohol in 2020, the highest number the state has\u00a0<\/span>seen\u00a0<\/span>this century<\/span>. The\u00a0<\/span>American Medical Association<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>continues to urge policymakers to take action to increase access to care for substance use disorders, including pain management and harm reduction measures. \u00a0A recent study conducted by the\u00a0<\/span>Addiction Policy Forum<\/span><\/a>, showed that over 30% percent of participants cite stigma as a significant barrier during the process of finding help. Patients reported experiencing stigma from doctors and other healthcare professionals, stigma from families, friends and the general public. \u00a0They also report experiences of self-stigma, which occurs when individuals internalize the shame, blame and negative beliefs of the public and suffer negative consequences.<\/p>\n

Substance use disorders are a national epidemic. \u00a0The\u00a0<\/span>Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>(SAMHSA) says that substance use disorders (SUD) occur \u201cwhen the recurrent use of alcohol and\/or drugs causes clinically significant impairment, including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home.\u201d These are\u00a0<\/span>chronic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>conditions that are preventable and treatable, and people do recover! \u00a0My organization, the\u00a0<\/span>Georgia Council for Recovery<\/span><\/a>(GC4R), is a community-based nonprofit organization with the mission to increase the impact of recovery in our communities through education, advocacy, training and\u00a0<\/span>peer recovery support services. \u00a0Our staff of over 45 individuals are in recovery from an SUD, a mental illness, or both. We speak out about our recovery so that others know it\u2019s possible to get and stay well and to combat stigma and discrimination. \u00a0Our\u00a0<\/span>work is about speaking up and speaking out\u00a0about how SUD and mental illnesses have affected our lives and, most importantly, what helped us get better. \u00a0We don\u2019t just rely on our own lived experience when advocating for others- we talk to people and help them build their own voices to add to ours. We provide the skills for communities to build connections, create recovery-friendly resources, and impact positive change.<\/p>\n

Over the past 15 years, we have been focused on developing recovery leadership in communities across Georgia. \u00a0We\u2019ve done this in partnership with\u00a0<\/span>the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>by creating a peer workforce through a training program called Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist, or CARES. \u00a0To date, we have trained close to 1,000 individuals in recovery to work in many aspects of the behavioral health and healthcare fields. \u00a0Many of these CARES have become community leaders and have worked hard to help heal themselves, their families and their communities. \u00a0GC4R and DBHDD have established a network of\u00a0<\/span>peer-run organizations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>across the State where individuals in recovery can walk in and engage in recovery activities. We\u2019ve found that the people who have \u201cbeat this disease\u201d are willing and able to be part of the solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another way GC4R works to combat the epidemic is to advocate for recovery-positive policy, including at the Georgia State Capitol. \u00a0In a recent Senate subcommittee hearing on\u00a0<\/span>HB 520<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>at the 2023 Georgia General Assembly, a community member acknowledged our presence by testifying that the room \u201cis filled with former drug addicts\u2026who are begging the rest of us in this community to pay for all of the things (they) did wrong.\u201c While this language was stigmatizing and hurtful to those who were in attendance, we recognize that many people feel this way. \u00a0We also recognize that many people do not feel this way and quite the contrary, view\u00a0<\/span>us as courageous survivors of a health condition that many do not survive. \u00a0Recovery communities have a rich tradition of \u201cgiving back\u201d, whether it be through the amends process that is a huge part of a 12-step fellowship, through working with a licensed\u00a0<\/span>therapist who helps empower people to cope with situations in healthy ways, or through a religious community that teaches how to live an honest and charitable life.<\/p>\n

The solution to the epidemic of substance use disorders must be comprehensive and long-term and it will require commitments from healthcare professionals, public health officials, policymakers, and the individuals, families and communities that bear the brunt of the pain of addiction. \u00a0Stigma and discrimination are real and the way we combat\u00a0<\/span>those are through education and awareness. \u00a0Knowing someone in recovery who is willing to speak out about what helps them is a good start. \u00a0If you or someone you know would like to confidentially speak with a person in recovery, please call or text the\u00a0<\/span>CARES Warm Line<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>at\u00a0<\/span>844-326-5400<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>from 8:30 a.m. \u2013 11:00 p.m.<\/span>, Monday-Friday, 365 days per year. \u00a0You will hear a message of hope and your voice will be heard. Addiction is the problem, connection to recovery is the solution. \u00a0And those of us in recovery are here to listen and do our part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RECOVERY GIVES BACK Neil Campbell, Executive Director, Person in Recovery Georgia Council for Recovery More than 107,000 deaths due to opioid overdose were reported in the United States between January 2021 to\u00a0January 2022. According to the\u00a0Georgia Department of Public Health, all drug overdose deaths in Georgia increased by 61.9 percent from 2019 to 2021. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nRECOVERY GIVES BACK - Georgia Council for Recovery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gc4recovery.org\/recovery-gives-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RECOVERY GIVES BACK - Georgia Council for Recovery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RECOVERY GIVES BACK Neil Campbell, Executive Director, Person in Recovery Georgia Council for Recovery More than 107,000 deaths due to opioid overdose were reported in the United States between January 2021 to\u00a0January 2022. 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