Addiction Facts for Recovery Month Awareness

Being that September is the 25th annual Recovery Month I thought Id share some facts about addiction and recovery to raise some awareness. As a recovering addict I think its pretty neat that we have a whole month dedicated to recovery. The Recovery Month.Gov  has a bunch of info on recovery month if you want to check that out. 

This year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Speak Up, Reach Out,” encourages people to openly speak up about mental and substance use disorders and the reality of recovery, and promotes ways individuals can use to recognize behavioral health issues and reach out for help. Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover.

Share here: recoverymonth.gov/Voices-for-Recovery/Stories or like I have here heroesinrecovery.com

Also the ihavewill has started the lemon challenge to raise awareness. The challenge is to eat or suck on a lemon and keep a straight face and filming it to share with everyone. If you can keep a straight face keep eating. Its a fun challenge and a great way to raise awareness.

Now here are some facts :

(Click on a fact to be redirected to its source)

According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.2 million persons (9.4 percent of the U.S. population) aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in 2007. Of these individuals, 2.4 million (10.4 percent of those who needed treatment) received treatment at a specialty facility. Thus, 20.8 million persons (8.4 percent of the population aged 12 or older) needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive it. These estimates are similar to those in previous years.

• Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior
• No single treatment is appropriate for everyone
• Many drug addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.
• In any given day, over 700,000 Americans seek treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.
• At least one-third of alcoholics fully recover.
• Using prescription drugs to combat alcohol dependency, in combination with treatment, boost the recovery success rate to 50 percent.
• Children who learn about the risk of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs than those who are not taught about the dangers.
• Children of alcoholics are four times as likely to develop problems with alcohol.
• In 2008, 9.3 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 were current illicit drug users.
• Individuals treated for alcohol misuse are approximately 10 times more likely to commit suicide than those who do not misuse alcohol, and people who abuse drugs have about 14 times greater the risk for eventual suicide

Charmed  =)