The road to recovery

Since its creation in 1989, National Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month has been held every September.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Recovery Month serves to educate the public on substance abuse and benefits of treatment from a societal aspect, celebrate those recovering and their supporters and encourage citizens to do their part in finding ways to improve availability and efficiency of treatment.

This year, the CSAT theme is “Join the Voices of Recovery: Build a Stronger, Healthier Community. Various events will take place throughout Virginia, including the 3K Recovery Run in Richmond, set to take place September 16.

Within the Virginia Tech community, the College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center encourages students to “speak up and speak out” against alcohol and drug abuse. The CAAPC was established in 2001 to “provide leadership in the development, implementation and evaluation of alcohol abuse prevention programs for students on the Virginia Tech campus,” said CAAPC Director Steven Clarke.

During the last week of September, CAAPC will distribute information about services that recovering students can take advantage of on campus and in the community. Clarke suggested students research programs provided by the New River Valley Community Services website, particularly that of the substance abuse. This service provides rehabilitation for those trying to recover in environments that may lead them to relapse.

Students interested in group recovery should visit the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous websites.

The Psychological Services Center of Virginia Tech, located on Prices Fork Road, and the Center for Applied Behavior Systems, located at 202 Williams Hall, provide regarding alcohol research being conducted.

Students may also seek individual counseling and psychiatric services at Cook Counseling Center and can research information on how to recover and to prevent further cases of substance abuse at the CAAPC website.

Collegiate Times