Recovery: It's a global thing

November 2, 2016

Maureen Fitzgerald
Editor, NIATx
Communications Coordinator, ATTC Network Coordinating Office


During National Recovery Month 2016, more than 1100 communities celebrated recovery with Recovery Walks, workshops, and other activities.  

And not all of these celebrations happened in the U.S! 

• A Recovery Camp in Tiona Park, Australia, brought together people celebrating recovery from mental illness. Watch a brief video about the camp here. 

• In northwest England, Faces and Voices of Recovery-UK held its eighth annual Recovery Walk. 

• Recovery Day Canada also celebrates recovery in September, and has been since 2012. 

• And in Ghana, Recovery Africa held its second annual Recovery walk this year. 

Bill White has written a lot about the Recovery Movement, and he shares perspectives from people in recovery from around the globe in these Leadership Interviews on Recovery Around the World. 

So, to tap in to the global reach of the Recovery Movement, the ATTC Network teamed up this year with Faces and Voices of Recovery and Facing Addiction to celebrate SAMHSA's National Recovery Month 2016 with an international essay contest. 

By sharing their personal stories, people in recovery from substance use and mental health disorders have tremendous potential to reduce stigma and change attitudes -- everywhere. 

While Recovery Month has passed, the deadline for the essay contest has not--we're inviting entries from across the globe until December 31, 2016. You can get all the contest information and guidelines by visiting the In My Own Words International Essay Contest page.  

• Entrants are encouraged to use "person-first" language that identifies the person first and the condition second. ("I am a person with a substance use disorder," vs. "I am an addict." 
• A judging panel will select the top 20 essays based on specific criteria, including the use of non-stigmatizing and person-first language.
• Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third-place entries. (Very cool prizes, by the way.) 

Do you have a story to share, or do you know someone who might like to? Submit an entry, and share the contest info with your national and international colleagues. 

The end result will be a collection of stories that we will publish to demonstrate the power of recovery across the globe.