If a picture is worth a thousand words, images that capture someone’s recovery must be priceless. To know where they have been, at their bottom, and to then see them in recovery is an incredible joy. At Altarum Institute, recovery to us does not mean only addiction, just an eating disorder, just trauma, or any isolated behavioral health challenge. Recovery is a collective process of change that focuses on wellness and overcoming those challenges, while helping others and focusing on self-care and personal growth.
This has been a monumental month and historic summer for the mental health and addiction recovery communities:
- Mental health reform legislation is moving its way through Congress, having already passed the House.
- The Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (CARA) overwhelmingly passed Congress and will soon find its way to the President’s desk.
- Large-scale events were held across the country, including conferences from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America (MHA) as well as the annual America Honors Recovery event hosted by Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR).
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is hosting a national collegiate recovery summit in Washington, D.C., aiming to unify addiction and mental health support throughout higher education.
We are making great progress in the national spotlight, but we can always do more. Too much focus is on what the problems are rather than what the solutions could be. Recovery is one of those solutions, and Altarum Institute’s #WeAreRecovery project is another piece of the puzzle that will help our movement continue to progress and evolve.
Launching on Monday July 18, “#WeAreRecovery is an opportunity for the millions of individuals in recovery from mental illness and addiction to share their stories of hope. You will be empowering and inspiring others by posting a photo and short write-up that captures your recovery story.”
As the project’s official webpage states, “We believe that recovery is possible for all, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, or socioeconomic status. We invite you to join in our celebration of recovery by sharing the highlights of your own recovery journey. Together, we can lift each other up and inspire those that may still be searching for their own path to recovery.”
User-submitted photos and stories will be posted to Instagram via @WeAreRecovery and also posted on social media from the Altarum Behavioral Health pages for Facebook and Twitter. Questions can be directed to recovery@altarum.org.
There isn’t a better time for this project to launch. Fall is quickly approaching, bringing September’s National Recovery Month and then November’s general election. “Visible. Vocal. Valuable” was last year’s National Recovery Month theme; let’s keep that theme rolling by showing that #WeAreRecovery.
