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September is National Recovery and Suicide Awareness Month. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic hit Bladen County, officials report an increase with substance use and mental health issues.

Anyone with suicidal thoughts may call: 1-800-273-8255 for help.

William Sellers with Eastpointe stated, “Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease.”

He continued, “Each September, Recovery Month works to promote and support new evidence-based 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.”

Dr. Cathy Gantz, with the Substance Use Task Force, released Digital Recovery Resources. The following are resources for anyone facing addiction. These resources maybe even more valuable during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Click on the blue links and follow the directions to take advantage of the digital resources.

Peer Recovery Mutual Aid Meetings:

Alcoholics Anonymous—search for 1,000+ online meetings worldwide

Al-Anon—searchable list of e-meetings for people affected by alcohol addiction in a family member or friend

Any Positive Change—harm reduction mutual aid (Tuesdays, 7 pm Eastern time) or dial 872-240- 3412 with access code 177-648-909

Cocaine Anonymous—email, voice, and online meetings

Co-Dependents Anonymous—phone and online meetings in support of healthy, loving relationships

Families Anonymous—virtual meetings for family members of people with SUD/OUD

In the Rooms—virtual meeting space for wide variety of societies, including 12-step, secular, and gender-specific

LifeRing Secular Recovery—daily meetings via Zoom

Narcotics Anonymous—search for online and phone meetings around the world

Recovery Dharma—Buddhist approach with daily meetings accessible by phone, smartphone, and computer

Refuge Recovery—Buddhist approach with daily meetings by Zoom across the U.S.

SMART Recovery—daily online meetings, message board, and 24/7 live chat

Spanish All Recovery—live weekly meetings in Spanish and English coordinated by El Paso ReCo

Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous—Zoom meetings from MARA International

Unity Recovery—online recovery support groups available five times daily, plus groups for family, women, and LGBTQ+

Facebook Communities Note: Private groups are visible to members only and require a request to join. Public groups are visible to anyone.

Activismo Latino—public group in Spanish focused on advocacy and education

Addiction & Recovery Community Advocates—private group focusing on advocacy and education

Affected by Addiction Support Group—private group for anyone who has a loved one in active addiction, individuals in recovery, and anyone in active addiction themselves

Faces & Voices of Recovery—public group focusing on advocacy and education

Friends of Bill W—private group practicing and living the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

Mobilize Recovery—private group sponsored by the Voices Project and Recovery Advocacy Project

Recovery Dharma—private group, using Buddhist practices and principles to overcome addiction through meditation, self-inquiry, and community

Phone Apps:

12 Step Meditation Daily Reflections AA NA Al-Anon—guided meditations, music, prayers, and 12-step audio recovery content (Apple only)

Connections—Addiction Policy Forum’s app with daily check-ins, discussion groups, and secure contact with counselors (Apple and Android)

In the Rooms—easy access to virtual meetings, social networking tools, blogs, and recovery guides (Apple and Android)

Anyone in Bladen County may also call Eastpointe for mental health or substance use issues.

Today, Sellers also announced an upcoming documentary. The Anonymous People is a feature documentary film about the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Deeply entrenched social stigma and mass participation in widely successful anonymous 12-step groups have kept recovery voices silent and faces hidden for decades. The vacuum created by this silence has been filled by sensational mass media depictions of addiction that continue to perpetuate a lurid public fascination with the dysfunctional side of what is a preventable and treatable health condition. Just like women with breast cancer, or people with HIV/AIDS, courageous addiction recovery advocates are starting to come out of the shadows to tell their true stories.

The moving story of The Anonymous People is told through the faces and voices of the leaders, volunteers, corporate executives, and celebrities who are laying it all on the line to save others’ lives just like them. This passionate new public recovery movement is fueling a changing conversation that aims to transform public opinion, and finally shift problematic policy toward lasting recovery solutionsJoin us as Eastpointe celebrates recovery month with testimonies, resources, and encouragement from individuals in long term recovery, family members, and professionals.