From the Sitka Sentinel, Sept 23, 2021
‘Walk for Recovery’
Dear Editor: September is National Recovery Month and to honor those in recovery, our community is hosting a masked and socially distanced “Walk for Recovery” on Saturday, Sept. 25, starting at 10 a.m. in front of Centennial Hall. Community resources, button making in honor of recovery and a limited number of free purple T-shirts will be available. Purple is the official color of Recovery Month.
Recovery is for everyone because it benefits everyone. In recovery, we build new connections to ourselves, our families, and our communities.
The 2021 National Recovery Month theme, “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” reminds people in recovery and those who support them that recovery belongs to all of us.
We are all called to end gatekeeping and welcome everyone to recovery by lowering barriers to recovery support, creating inclusive spaces and programs, and broadening our understanding of what recovery means for people with different experiences.
While it may be tempting to characterize recovery as a universal experience or single journey, our community is proof there are as many pathways to and of recovery as there are people. Our strength is our diversity and because of who we are, the recovery community has unique opportunities to learn, challenge, grow and dream. By expanding traditional, limited conceptions of recovery, which center on white, heterosexual, cisgender, religious, wealthy perspectives, we enrich everyone’s experience.
Mental health and substance use disorder are not one-size-fit all conditions, nor do they affect everyone equally. Culturally competent multilingual resources and gender-expansive programs should acknowledge and include LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and other historically marginalized community members.
Looking beyond our individual experiences strengthens and supports recovery in all its forms. The recovery community has a powerful foundation of mutual aid, peer support, and adaptability. As we grow in empathy and understanding, we save lives by adding protective factors and building resiliency. We honor the incredible contributions from communities within recovery as groups connect and implement resources that serve their unique needs.
The powerful bonds built in recovery are life-altering. To honor those bonds, in every form they take, is a significant factor in sustaining recovery as well as building bridges between our communities. When we connect with open minds and hearts, we learn from one another and create life-saving opportunities.
Loyd Platson, Sitka
