The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

National Recovery Month



September is Recovery Month National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month 2013


Video, Radio, Web


Road to Recovery Radio Series

Year: 2013   2012   2011   2010   2009   2008

Month: March April May June July August September November

  • March:  Join the Voices for Recovery: Together on Pathways to Wellness

    (Premieres: 03/06/2013)
    The 2013 National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) observance represents the many ways for people to prevent behavioral health issues, seek treatment, sustain recovery, and live a healthy life. The 2013 theme, Join the Voices of Recovery: Together on Pathways to Wellness, aims to educate individuals and communities, emphasizing that it is essential to seek physical and mental wellness every day, through multiple pathways and throughout the recovery process, to achieve health and well-being. As the Road to Recovery series kicks off its 13th season, this episode will highlight the many accomplishments of the 2012 Recovery Month campaign and look forward to a successful September 2013 Recovery Month.

  • April:  Building Public Awareness and Community Support: Strategies for Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery in Behavioral Health

    (Premieres: 04/03/2013)
    Continued progress in meeting the challenges associated with behavioral health problems in our nation depends largely on building public awareness and community support. Increased public awareness on the costs and consequences of untreated mental and substance use disorders will likely result in higher levels of community support for prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives. What are the most effective ways for those involved in the behavioral health field to reach out to their communities to build awareness and support? What are the best ways to connect with community leaders who can influence others in this endeavor? This show will examine a variety of strategies and messages for building public awareness and community support, including how the direction of health reform and the integration of behavioral health care into the primary health care setting present opportunities for progress and also challenges.

  • May:  New Trends and Implications: Discoveries and Developments in Behavioral Health

    (Premieres: 05/01/2013)
    Research agendas at our National Institutes of Health produce exciting discoveries and developments for the behavioral health field. This show will highlight important findings emerging from the National Institutes of Health across the domains of prevention, treatment, and recovery and will explore the inter-relationships of alcohol use disorders, disorders from use of other drugs, and mental disorders. Innovations based on this research are profoundly impacting the practice of behavioral health, the direction of health reform, and the advancement of health information technology. The show will analyze how these advancements are being promulgated through federal, state, and local entities.

  • June:  Prevention and Early Intervention in Behavioral Health: Promising Practices

    (Premieres: 06/05/2013)
    There is a strong consensus that prevention and early intervention for mental and substance use disorders is a highly effective public health strategy. One of the more promising developments in this field is the emergence of defined screening techniques to detect problems. When integrated into primary health care systems, school settings, and community-based programs, screening can lead to early interventions that can help individuals before problems arise. This show will examine the use of screening techniques in behavioral health care and point to the positive elements of screening, prevention practices, and intervention in the context of health reform.

  • July:  Recovery Is a Family Affair: The Complex Dynamics in Families Struggling With Mental and Substance Use Disorders

    (Premieres: 07/03/2013)
    The process of recovery applies not only for the person with a mental and/or substance use disorder but for all family members as well. A mental and/or substance use disorder in one or both parents can traumatize children, which often has a lasting impact and can lead to multigenerational behavioral health problems. Similarly, a mental and/or substance use disorder in a child has a strong impact on siblings and parents. More and more, the field of behavioral health is recognizing the importance of engaging the entire family in treatment and recovery. This show will demonstrate the positive results gained from taking a whole family approach in treatment and recovery, one in which all family members are engaged and supported in the healing process. Also, family issues in certain settings such as military families and nontraditional families will be explored.

  • August:  Young Adults in Recovery: Meeting the Needs of the “Millennial Generation”

    (Premieres: 08/07/2013)
    Young adults increasingly are joining the ranks of people in recovery. The needs of young adults (ages 18–25), an age group sometimes called “the Millennial Generation,” differ from the needs of older and younger generational groups. This show will focus on the particular needs and preferences of young adults as they engage in treatment for mental and substance use disorders and follow their journey of recovery. Effective strategies for preventing young adults from initiating substance use, escalating their substance use, or developing mental disorders will also be explored. Young adults have been raised in an era in which the Internet provides vast quantities of information with rapid access to this information facilitated by mobile technologies. Also, these lifestyle factors—which have strong implications for prevention strategies, treatment approaches, and recovery systems for this age group—will be examined.

  • September:  Peer Recovery Support: Leveraging Personal Experience in Helping Others

    (Premieres: 09/04/2013)
    Peer recovery support in behavioral health is a powerful and essential component of the recovery process. More recently, however, the recognition of the importance of peer support has led to more structured and intentional applications of this recovery support approach. For example, many peer “recovery support specialists” and “recovery coaches” have received training on the most effective ways to help peers in recovery. Use of trained individuals along with other strategies for providing peer support is found in both mental health and substance use settings. Peer support is especially effective within certain groups such as military service members and veterans, young adults, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. In some applications, online technologies are used to facilitate peer support processes. This show will also address the use of peer support in recovery community centers and recovery living settings.

  • November:  The Road to Recovery 2013: A Showcase of Events

    (Premieres: 11/06/2013)
    Building on the 2013 National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) theme—“Join the Voices for Recovery: Together on Pathways to Wellness”—this episode will feature footage, photos, and interviews of participants from events held throughout the country as individuals, families, and entire communities unite in celebration of Recovery Month. In addition, the show will highlight the positive and affirming message realized by millions of Americans: Behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover!

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Recovery in Your Community

Youth and Young Adults in Recovery


La Comunidad Hispana



  • Behavioral Health is Essential to Health
  • Prevention Works
  • Treatment is Effective
  • People Recover
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