National Recovery Month: A Personal Reflection

National Recovery Month, also known simply as Recovery Month, is held each year throughout the month of September to celebrate the progress made by people in recovery. It also aims to educate others on the successful impacts of substance use treatment and mental health services. Recovery month helps to destigmatize addiction and reinforce the truth that people can, and do, recover.

Just a few years ago, this annual recognition meant little to me. I was a naive, recent college graduate who did not personally know (or, more likely, didn’t know that I knew) anyone facing addiction or in recovery. However, in March of 2020, something life changing occurred that shifted my view of recovery and addiction forever -- my twin sister, Katie, became sober.