NASW Celebrates National Recovery Month

Makeba Royall LCSW, Senior Practice Associate, Behavioral Health

September 2024

September is National Recovery Month which was established in 1989 with the purpose of advancing evidence-based treatment and recovery methods for those impacted by mental health and substance use conditions. Throughout Recovery Month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) acknowledges the importance of stable housing, the need to provide resources pertaining to social determinants of health that may affect recovery efforts, and the need for improved health and wellness outcomes.

In observance of Recovery Month, SAMHSA has created a Recovery Month Toolkit that includes resources to assist individuals who may be in recovery, social media content to raise awareness, and promotional materials about recovery.

NASW is committed to promoting awareness and honoring individuals who are in recovery. Resources that could be useful to social workers in their work pertaining to recovery efforts are listed below.

NASW Resources

National Association of Social Workers South Carolina Chapter

September 20, 2024, 12-1pm, Virtual Lunch and Learn: Trauma, Grief, and Dopamine in SUD. 
1 SW CEU Awarded! Presenter, Jackie Carson, LMSW will discuss her brief stint as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor. For more info and to register go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/999457252547?aff=oddtdtcreator

NASW Social Work Talk Podcasts

• EP13: Opioid Crisis (socialworkers.org)
• EP55: Treating Substance Use Disorder During the Coronavirus Pandemic (socialworkers.org)
• EP76: Smoking Cessation (socialworkers.org)
• EP81: Addiction and the Pandemic (socialworkers.org)
• EP101: Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (socialworkers.org)

NASW Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Specialty Practice Section

• https://www.socialworkers.org/careers/specialty-practice-sections/alcohol-tobacco-and-other-drugs

NASW Continuing Education for Social Workers via Social Work Online CE Institute

• Cultural Competency and Opioid Addiction Treatment
• Medication Assisted Treatment: Stigma, Treatment Availability, Barriers and Strategies
• The Changing World of Addictions: Social Workers Poised to be an Integral Part of the Solution
• The Opioid Crisis: How We Got Here

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

• Disrupting Stigma: How Understanding, Empathy, and Connection Can Improve Outcomes for Families Affect by Substance Use and Mental Disorders. Brief created to support collaboration amongst teams in their efforts to help reduce stigmas. The brief provides strategies and best practices when working with individuals affected by substance use and mental disorders.
• Understanding Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Resource Guide for Professionals Referring to Treatment. Resource which provides tools for providers to utilize when working with individuals and families affected by substance use.
• Online Tutorials, for Substance Use Treatment Professionals, Child Welfare Professionals and Legal Professionals.

National Institute on Drug Abuse

• NIDA provides descriptions of different types of recovery programs and includes tools providers can use when working with individuals who are entering recovery.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

• National Recovery Month Events | SAMHSA
• Online Treatment Locator, the confidential and anonymous resource for individuals seeking treatment for mental and substance use disorders in the United States and its territories.
• Recovery from Substance Use and Mental Health Problems Among Adults in the United States (samhsa.gov), is a report which provides information related to factors impacting recovery efforts amongst adults and how mental health and substance use conditions can be supported by using a whole-health approach.
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline, is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
• SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center, SAMHSA has compiled a list of resources that can help communities, providers and policymakers incorporate evidence-based practices into their work and settings.