According to statistics from American Addiction Centers, 20.7 million people in the United States aged 12 and over needed treatment for a substance use disorder in 2017. Only 4 million of those people received it. In accordance with the Illinois Department of Health, Governor J.B. Pritzker proclaimed this month as Recovery Month to raise awareness on addiction counseling and services for those in recovery.
The #RecoveryBelongs social media campaign kicked off on August 31st, 2019 on International Overdose Awareness Day.
Illinois Department of Health Representative Dani Kirby says that the road to recovery has many paths. “We think that recovery belongs in our communities. It belongs in hospitals, community health centers. It belongs in places where people go to get substance abuse disorder treatment; and it just belongs in communities. It belongs in Illinois. People might take an approach that involves self-help. It might be an approach involves working with other people that have been through a recovery process. It might involve traditional treatment centers.”
Several events are being held all across the state this month including free overdose response trainings, opioid awareness discussions, candlelight vigils, and basektball tournaments among others. The list will expand as the month goes on. Visit the Department of Human Services website for a complete list at dhs.state.il.us