National Recovery Month Proclamation

September 15, 2009. A proclamation for National Recovery Month was presented by Councilmember Trachtenberg to Laura Winton, Program Director of Avery Road Combined Care, and Patricia Sullivan, co-Vice Chair of the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory Council. Several individuals were also recognized for achievements at the Avery Road Treatment Center.

WHEREAS, alcohol and drug addictions have devastating health and societal consequences, and Marylanders are certainly not immune to these serious health problems; and

WHEREAS, 23.2 million people aged 12 or older in the United States needed treatment for a substance use disorder in 2007, and 5.4 million adults also suffered from a concurrent mental illness; and

WHEREAS, valuable resources exist online and in our community to increase people’s awareness about how substance use disorders affect children, families, and our society; and

WHEREAS, such awareness and education is essential to overcoming misconceptions, eliminating the harmful effects of stigma, and achieving long-term recovery; and

WHEREAS, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month provides an opportunity to highlight the benefits of treatment and encourage people with drug and alcohol abuse issues to begin their journey of recovery—a journey that leads to sobriety, productivity and much hope and fulfillment; and

WHEREAS, to help achieve this goal, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Advisory Council invite all residents of Montgomery County to participate in the 20th anniversary of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month); and

NOW, THEREFORE, the Montgomery County Council does hereby proclaim the month of September 2009 as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month in Montgomery County and calls upon the people of this county to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies supporting this year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Learn, Together We Heal.”