National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, honors the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse is possible. You can help make recovery a reality in your community by joining our annual celebration this September.

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with its national planning partner organizations, has produced a user-friendly toolkit designed to assist you with ideas, suggestions, and materials for planning and implementing a successful campaign in your community.

The toolkit features helpful resources, event ideas, suggestions, and samples on how to reach local media, fact sheets for key constituency groups and special audiences, and more. All of the materials can help you convey the 2003 observance theme:  Join the Voices for Recovery:  Celebrating Health. There’s an interactive web site where the entire toolkit and other materials may be downloaded or ordered, news is distributed, and events are posted by locality. You’ll find it’s well worth your time to tailor a community outreach program. Recovery Month has been a success throughout the country and its effectiveness grows dramatically every year!

2003 marks the 14th year of Recovery Month. In recent years, we have been able to measure the dramatic impact the celebration had on audiences across the country. Last year, for example, the Recovery Month radio tour achieved an all-time high, reaching an estimated 4,985,630 listeners. The Recovery Month web site logged over two million visitors—more than double the number of the prior year. Over 230 local communities held events throughout the country. This type of outreach would be impossible without the help of people like you. We hope you will join the growing number of communities who sponsor events and promote the message that recovery is possible.

If this is your first campaign, request a Recovery Month toolkit, available beginning in February 2003. It will help you effectively deliver the message that recovery is possible with treatment, family support, and community help services. For a toolkit or more information, contact:

Or visit us on the Web at www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment www.samhsa.gov