September is National Recovery Month, a national observance held every September to educate people that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life.

“This month is to really focus on the joy and the progress that we have made in the United States to help people find lasting recovery. Recovery is real. It’s not some myth. It can be obtained,” said Stephanie Anderson, chief executive officer at Recovery Centers for America in Indianapolis in an interview with IndyPolitics.

In order to achieve recovery, Anderson said people need to realize what can trigger addiction. It is usually not one thing.

“Typically, addiction stems from lots of different places. Perhaps, there is a prescription for it. Some have a genetic predisposition. In other cases, it’s a response to coping with life traumas,” said Anderson. “80% of all people with an addiction have some sort of additional mental health diagnoses like depression or anxiety. We’re also seeing more and more psychotic disorders.”

Anderson and other mental health experts say the pandemic has only made things worse.

“We had made a ton of headway in the opioid crisis leading up to the pandemic, but as of last year, the stats show that we’ve got a 33% increase in opioid overdose deaths,” said Anderson. “We’re seeing a lot of increase in alcohol use and illicit substances like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.”

Anderson believes there is still an unfair stigma placed on people who are battling an addiction.

“What people fail to understand is that most people don’t wake up and say, ‘I choose to be an addict today.’ Their body and their circumstances have led them to a place where it’s no longer a choice for them. There is no perfect line in the sand from where it crosses from a problem into an addiction. It starts with just telling someone you care. Maybe say, ‘I noticed this change in you. It doesn’t mean I think you’re addicted, but I think you can get some help,’ said Anderson.

Anderson says it doesn’t help that with the emergence of Zoom, employers sometimes think that their employees can just work from home and be connected any time of day.

“So people who typically would take a medical leave for the amount of time needed to detox from work are now expected to be on Zoom. People are afraid of the stigma. They’re afraid of telling people I had to take some time away from work to get healthy and get well,” said Anderson.

It gets tricky when people come in and are addicted to multiple substances.

“For me and most treatment providers, what we’re looking at is saying, ‘Okay, what are you willing to do? Let’s start there,’ and as somebody experiences recovery and the joy of recovery, they become more motivated to see what recovery looks like in other aspects. That’s ultimately our goal,” said Anderson.

Anderson says the way to beat addiction is to strive for connection. Telehealth has been a big help with that during the pandemic.

If you or someone you know needs help in their battle with addiction, you can call the Recovery Centers of America and schedule a same-day admission at 463-999-9045.