September is National Recovery Month, and the theme for 2021 is “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community.”
We thank Bernardo G. Cuadra, Assistant Attorney General in the Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, for sharing multiple resources we’ve included below.
You can find more on National Recovery Month here from SAMHSA and here from the National Council for Mental Well-Being.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, Sept. 9 (3pm – 5pm) – KICK OFF NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH 2021 – Faces & Voices of Recovery. Faces & Voices of Recovery also provides a national event listing here.
Wednesday, Sept. 15 (12pm – 1pm) – HARM REDUCTION: A PATHWAY TO AUTONOMY, HOPE, AND HEALING – MGH Recovery Month 2021. Speakers Maia Szalavitz and Monique Tula will discuss the harm reduction movement and its impact on addiction and recovery. Maia is the author of Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction, the first history of the harm reduction movement and its success in moving America towards more compassionate and effective approaches to addiction. Monique is the Executive Director of Harm Reduction Coalition, a national advocacy and capacity-building organization that promotes the health and dignity of people affected by drug use. Register here.
Friday, Sept. 24 (12pm – 1pm) – UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION: KNOW SCIENCE / NO STIGMA. Free CLE from the Florida Lawyers Assistance Program. Dr. Charles Smith, D.O. will present on (1) the biological aspects of addiction and natural disease processes that make ‘just quitting’ so difficult for those struggling with substance abuse; (2) the lethal effects of stigma, as fear of being ostracized or stripped of practice privileges keeps so many lawyers suffering in silence.
Tuesday, Sept. 28 (10am – 1pm, City Hall Plaza, Boston) – MOAR RECOVERY MARCH – Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery. MOAR also provides a statewide Recovery Month schedule here.
Ongoing Resources:
DEVELOPING AN ANTI-RACIST RECOVERY MOVEMENT: DECONSTRUCTING AND CHALLENGING CURRENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES – Mass General Hospital’s 2020 Recovery Kick Off. From the description, “September’s 2020 Recovery Month kick off event focused on how academic medicine, research and policy have systematically excluded Black, Indigenous and other Persons of Color (BIPOC) from the recovery movement. Tracie Gardner, vice president of policy for Legal Action Center, provided an overview of the challenges of ensuring Black voices in the current recovery “movement” and why BIPOC voices must drive the creation and implementation of good public policy. Researcher and addiction psychiatrist Dr. Ayana Jordan provided examples of how to provide addiction treatment and conduct research in a culturally-affirming manner.”
LCL MA RECOVERY PEER SUPPORT MEETINGS. Our confidential peer support group meetings exclusively for Massachusetts lawyers, law students, and judges continue to meet twice weekly online, with additional times based on in-person meetings held across Massachusetts prior to the pandemic. Plans to return to in-person meetings are being made by group leaders of each location, as reflected on our meeting listing.
Related:
Alcohol Awareness Month: Starting with Self-Awareness (LCL MA Blog, April 2021)
Free & Confidential Consultations:
Lawyers, law students, and judges in Massachusetts can discuss concerns with a licensed therapist, law practice advisor, or both. Find more on scheduling here.
