As Alcohol Awareness Month (AAM) concludes, it only fits that this week is National Addiction Treatment Week. Each April events are held to educate the general public, especially young people, about alcohol, alcoholism, treatment, and recovery. Alcohol use disorder is a severe mental health condition; while there is no cure for the disease, nor any form of addiction for that matter, treatment works, and recovery is possible.
One of the most significant obstacles standing in the way of people and addiction treatment is the stigma surrounding mental health disorders. Health experts and addiction medicine professionals expel tremendous energy and time spreading the message that alcohol and substance use disorders are not a moral failing but instead, a disease of the mind—the symptoms of which—can be deadly.
Please join PACE Recovery Center and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) during National Addiction Treatment Week (April 23rd through April 29th). Help us raise awareness that addiction is a disease and that evidence-based treatments are available. Use disorders are an urgent matter in the U.S., with nearly 20.5 million Americans struggling with substance use disorder (SUD), according to the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. What’s more, only 1 in 10 people with a SUD receive treatment.
National Addiction Treatment Week
While this time is vital for raising awareness about treatable mental health conditions, it is also a call to action to young people considering working in the field of addiction. ASAM is urging clinicians to enter the area of study; the organization is hosting events and webinars for physicians and medical students about the pathways to addiction medicine certification. If you have a personal or professional interest in this vitally important area of study, you can discover more information at TreatAddictionSaveLives.org.
Raising awareness that addiction is a chronic brain disease, and not a moral failure, and qualifying more clinicians to treat addiction is vital to increasing patients’ access to treatment.” said Kelly Clark, MD, MBA, DFASAM, president of ASAM. “National Addiction Treatment Week supports ASAM’s dedication to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, and helping physicians treat addiction and save lives.
Addiction treatment and working a program of recovery provides countless opportunities to be of service to society. A not insignificant number of young men and women in recovery make the decision to pursue a career in addiction medicine after treatment, becoming counselors, therapists, and doctors. One might even argue that people with a history of addiction are uniquely equipped to help others struggling with the disease; they can relate with patients and clients on a level that your average clinician might find challenging. After all, doctors in recovery have been “there” and know firsthand what recovery asks of an individual.
DEA National Rx Take Back Day
Aside National Addiction Treatment Week, there is another important event taking place on Saturday, April 28, 2018, starting at 10:00 AM. Across the United States, the general public has an opportunity to do a small deed that can help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. Saturday prescription drug collection sites are available in every state for the DEA’s 15th National Take-Back Day.
Did you know that the majority of prescription drugs used non-medically are obtained from family and friends, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health? At that time, 6.4 million Americans engaged in nonmedical prescription medication use, many of whom found the pills in the home medicine cabinet. Last October, a total of 5,321 take back sites collected 912,305 lbs. (456 Tons) of unused medication. Perhaps this April America can set a new record and help save lives in the process. If you would like to know where you can find a collection site in your area, please click here.
Please take some time to watch a short PSA:
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Addiction Treatment Saves Lives
If you are a young man struggling with an alcohol or substance use disorder, PACE Recovery Center can help you break the cycle of addiction. Our dedicated team can teach you the skills and provide you the necessary tools for leading a productive life in recovery. Please contact us today to learn more about our young adult rehab program.
