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Fall Special Edition 2021
Volume 8 | Issue No. 49
S
eptember is National Recovery
Month, an annual observance
celebrating the gains made by those
recovering from substance use and
reinforcing the message that recovery
is possible. Because substance use
is a heavily stigmatized and often
taboo topic, National Recovery Month
aims to educate Americans about
the intersection of addiction with
behavioral health and share success
stories of loved ones overcoming the
resulting challenges. Personal recovery
testimonials increase awareness
and understanding about mental
health and substance use, as well
as empower those struggling to seek
support.
The 2021 National Recovery Month
theme, "Recovery is For Everyone:
Every Person, Every Family, Every
Community," reminds people in
recovery and their support systems
that no one is in this journey alone.
According to the Association for
Addiction Professionals, this year's
observance promotes and supports
evidence-based treatment and
practices, the importance of a strong
and proud recovery community, and
the dedication of service providers
and community members.
Peer support is a pillar of addiction
recovery, especially within groups
such as Alcoholics Anonymous,
Narcotics Anonymous, their family-
centered counterparts AlAnon and
NarAnon, and faith-based groups
like Celebrate Recovery. Peer
recovery specialist Tamara Lane and
NarAnon Midwest region delegate
Theresa Cleaves are just two of many
community members using their
personal experience with addiction
to help others navigate their own
recovery journey.
Lane is a peer recovery specialist at
the Health Care Collaborative (HCC)
of Rural Missouri. After developing
and enduring an addiction to
methamphetamines for nearly nine
years, she will be celebrating five years
of sobriety this November. Finding
support in the peer group Celebrate
Recovery, she became determined to
serve her community in a larger way.
When HCC added two counseling
positions to their behavioral health
team, fellow peer recovery specialist
Will Jordan accepted first and
immediately recommended Lane join
him. Together, they provide education,
resources, and support to rural Missouri
residents navigating substance use
and recovery every step of the way.
Though Cleaves grew up in the
presence of alcoholism, she did
not fully understand the gravity of
addiction until discovering it among
her older two daughters during their
junior high and high school years.
Navigating the addiction and relapses
of both women throughout their
lives brought with it a rollercoaster of
emotions and challenges. In 2014,
Cleaves lost her eldest daughter to
a complication from a drug-related
incident, resulting in a devastating
grieving period for the family and
seemingly impossible recovery for her
second daughter.
Seeking advice from her daughters'
sober friends and rehabilitation
programs, she eventually turned to
NarAnon, a counterpart program to
Narcotics Anonymous which educates
family and friends of addicts and
helps them cope, make amends, and
practice self-care.
By Elena Cleaves, Staff Writer
"I don't have to look over my shoulder anymore
and worry that the cops will pull me over and
I'll go to jail," Lane said. "I don't have to worry
about where I'm going to sleep tonight or if I can
afford food. I don't have to worry about when I'm
going to get high or how I'm going to get high.
I'm a pillar of my community, and that feels really
good. People trust me and look to me. I can see
the changes that they're making."
READ MORE &
LISTEN TO THE PODCASTS
NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH REMINDS US
Recovery is Possible for Everyone
