Summary

King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn and Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles were joined by their fellow councilmembers Tuesday in recognizing September as Behavioral Health Recovery Month in King County.

Story

King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn and Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles were joined by their fellow councilmembers Tuesday in recognizing September as Behavioral Health Recovery Month in King County.

Now in its 32^nd year, Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based behavioral health treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.

“A central message of Recovery Month is that substance use disorder and mental illness are complex diseases — not reflections of character flaws or weaknesses, but conditions that are medically treatable,” Dunn said. “It’s important that we as a community continue to work to de-stigmatize addiction and create pathways to recovery for those who seek it.”

This year’s Recovery Month theme is “Recovery is for everyone: every person, every family, every community,” a reminder that that no one is alone on their journey through recovery.

“Behavioral health challenges, and especially mental illness and substance use disorders, impact our lives daily in a myriad of ways. Everyone in need should have the opportunity to access services that support their overall health and well-being and provide them paths to recovery,” Kohl-Welles said. “Today’s proclamation re-affirms our collective commitment to supporting and de-stigmatizing the health and recovery of those in King County. “

Recovery Month began in 1989 as Treatment Works! Month, which honored the work of substance use treatment professionals in the field. It then expanded into National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month in 1998, when it started celebrating the accomplishment of individuals in recovery. The observance evolved once again in 2011 to become National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) and include mental illness.