eNews- October 1, 2007

Rally for Recovery! Over 30,000 advocates for recovery came together at over 60 events across the country to Rally for Recovery! Congratulations to everyone who spent countless hours organizing and attending these exciting events that put a face and a voice on recovery. This year, Learn more… Mark Your Calendar! November 9 and 10 in Boston Our next media training, “Our Stories Have Power...A Media Workshop for Recovery Advocates” will be in Boston, MA on November 9 and 10. We’re collaborating with Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR) and the Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England. You can register online October 5th and we will be sending out details to New England recovery advocates later this week. Congressional Action on Ending Insurance Discrimination The US House of Representatives and US Senate are moving forward to address the insurance discrimination faced by people with addiction and mental illness. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, H.R. 1424, has been “reported out” or passed by the full House Ways and Means Committee, by a vote of 27 to 13. Learn more… America Honors Recovery awardees Congratulations to Faces & Voices board member Carol McDaid, Advisory Board member Donald J. Kurth, M.D.; and their fellow honorees Karen Casey-Elliott; Kitty S. Harris, Ph.D.; Benneth R. Lee; and Domingo Rodriguez for receiving the Johnson Institute’s annual award for their service to the recovery community. What is Recovery? There’s growing interest in understanding what we mean when we talk about recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Faces & Voices’ messaging and media training has given thousands of recovery advocates a way to talk with the public and policymakers about individual and family member experiences of long-term recovery from addiction. In 2005, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) held a Summit where a definition of recovery was developed. And in 2006, the Betty Ford Institute Learn more… Resources Faces & Voices National Field Director Tom Coderre can be heard on Rhode Island Public Radio’s This I Believe, speaking of the reality of long-term recovery from addiction. Addiction interview with William White. Thanks to Addiction for making its Conversation with William White (Volume 102, Issue 9, September 2007) available to recovery advocates. The 11-page interview traces Bill White’s involvement and engagement in making recovery a reality. TalkAboutAddiction.org is a new website launched by the state of Massachusetts as part of a public awareness campaign to address and reduce the stigma associated with addiction. The campaign focuses on five specific addictions: tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs and gambling. The website features "real life" testimonials from recovering addicts, facts designed to challenge common assumptions about addiction, and a variety of resources for individuals, healthcare professionals, employers, and other groups. Addiction and the Family: An Online Course for Faith Leaders is a new online course from the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. Learn more… Join Faces & Voices of Recovery today! Become member by lending your financial support to our growing recovery advocacy movement.

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