Local Non-Profits Form "Voices for Recovery Coalition" to Increase Awareness of Substance Use Disorders in Sacramento

Sacramento, CA, August 22, 2010 --(PR.com)-- According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 23.1 million people in the United States have been classified with substance use disorders in the past year and an estimated 3.3 million people in California alone (source: County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California) are affected by addiction. Many people do not understand that addiction is a treatable disease, and this misconception can keep people from getting help.

To help alleviate this issue and overcome barriers to long-term recovery, four local non-profit organizations came together to form the Voices for Recovery Coalition. The coalition, comprised of Another Choice – Another Chance, MAAP Inc., Women’s Civic Improvement Club, Better Life, and Sobriety Brings a Change SBAC, will host a Rolling-For-Recovery Bowl-a-Thon on September 18, 2010. This family-oriented community event is intended to increase public awareness of substance use disorders and what local leaders are doing about it. It also will educate people about the positive effect that treatment and recovery can have on loved ones and the community’s well-being, and celebrate people in recovery – as well as those who help them.

The Rolling for Recovery Bowl-a-Thon taking place at County Club Lanes in Sacramento will be held as part of a national initiative known as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month), which is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Substance Abuse (CSAT), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This year marks the 21st annual celebration of Recovery Month, which honors people in recovery from substance use disorders, as well as those who provide treatment and recovery services, and promotes the need for treatment access and long-term recovery.

The event will commemorate this year’s Recovery Month theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!,” with the goal of reaching groups who may be susceptible to alcohol and/or drug use and relapse during times of stress. “Stress can be a major contributor to the use of alcohol and/or drugs, and may trigger some people to relapse or return to substance use after periods of abstinence,” said Vannessa Lindsey, Founder of Another Choice Another Chance. “Our Rolling-for-Recovery event will be an optimal opportunity to raise awareness within our community, and encourage friends, colleagues, and family members to learn more about the journey towards recovery.”

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) is celebrated each September in communities across the country to help people recognize that substance use disorders are treatable and recovery is possible. Treatment and other recovery support programs are as effective as treatment for other chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease – yet nationally, only 10 percent of Americans who need treatment for substance use disorders actually receive it, according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Recovery Month encourages people affected by addiction to seek treatment and recovery services so they can reclaim healthy and productive lives in their community.

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