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Health & Fitness

Let's Celebrate Recovery!

By George Young, LCSW

September is celebrated as National Recovery Month by the U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in an effort to provide a national effort to focus on, celebrate and promote “recovery” for mental health and substance use disorders. Additionally, the celebration is designed to highlight the contributions of providers. What does this mean to you? 

The importance of action in recovery makes me think of it as a verb -- a word that expresses action. You see, recovery in substance abuse or mental disorders is a process, a journey that an individual departs on when they are ready to make a change, to improve their current status of mental health or substance use towards striving to reach their full potential. We can’t always change where we have been, but we can change where we are going.

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It is said that as humans, we are the only animals who can change our direction, our outcomes. Geese flying south, butterflies migrating to Mexico, emperor penguins traveling inland to mate -- these behaviors can’t be changed. However as humans, we as students, young adults and adults have the ability to change our outcome, our direction and “improve our health and wellness, live a self-directed life; and strive to reach a full potential” despite how we have started or the difficulties we experienced along the way.

Having worked with recovering individuals for more than 30 years, I have been empowered and personally grown from the success they have experienced through their hard work and efforts. During this September, in the spirit of National Recovery Month, I ask you to think about these actions:

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  • Consider if you personally would benefit from making a change, and take a step forward, in a direction toward improving your outcomes
  • Help a troubled teen or young adult in your family start on the path to change by agreeing to connect with a mental health or substance abuse provider
  • Connect with someone who is trying to make a change and encourage them, recognizing that someone in “early recovery” especially needs this support
  • Thank a treatment or service provider for their efforts to promote change in others and think about what recovery means to you or your family
  • Get involved in promoting a healthy and drug-free community in Fairfax County for youth and young adults by connecting with the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (for great resources, visit the website www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org)

If you look around, you will see people around you every day struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues, and the more we become aware of their struggles and work to assist them to alleviate these struggles, the better, stronger and more positive our community becomes. Recovery is a process and is possible. Connect with those who can support you and like millions before you, start making the changes that will put you on a path to health and success.

May your September be filled with change.

George Young, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), is a senior clinician for National Counseling Group, Inc., and is vice president of the Board of Directors of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County.

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is a nonprofit organization with more than 50 community partners working together to keep youth and young adults safe and drug-free. Visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org and www.facebook.com/unifiedpreventioncoalition. Follow the group on Twitter at www.twitter.com/keepyouthsafe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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