{"id":5141,"date":"2024-06-26T10:39:57","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T14:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?p=5141"},"modified":"2024-06-26T13:51:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T17:51:44","slug":"national-recovery-month-a-personal-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/national-recovery-month-a-personal-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"National Recovery Month: A Personal Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><button id=\"listenButton1\" class=\"responsivevoice-button\" type=\"button\" value=\"Play\" title=\"ResponsiveVoice Tap to Start\/Stop Speech\"><span>&#128266; Listen to this article<\/span><\/button>\n        <script>\n            listenButton1.onclick = function(){\n                if(responsiveVoice.isPlaying()){\n                    responsiveVoice.cancel();\n                }else{\n                    responsiveVoice.speak(\"National Recovery Month, also known simply as Recovery Month, is held each year throughout the month of September to celebrate the progress made by people in recovery. It also aims to educate others on the successful impacts of substance use treatment and mental health services. Recovery month helps to destigmatize addiction and reinforce the truth that people can, and do, recover. Just a few years ago, this annual recognition meant little to me. I was a naive, recent college graduate who did not personally know (or, more likely, didn\u2019t know that I knew) anyone facing addiction or in recovery. However, in March of 2020, something life changing occurred that shifted my view of recovery and addiction forever -- my twin sister, Katie, became sober. What you should know about my sister and me is that we are close. You know the old cliches about twins being inseparable? We\\'re like that, but even closer. We talk every day; we erupt into what we like to call \u2018sissy giggles\u2019 every time we are together; and we understand each other intuitively like no one else can. So, let me tell you, her recovery was difficult \u2013 of course for her, but also for me. I never realized how many steps there are to recovery. First there\u2019s detox, then in-patient rehabilitation, then hybrid rehabilitation, then outpatient rehabilitation, then sober living, and so on until the person feels they can successfully continue recovery independently. And these steps aren\u2019t always linear. Luckily, for Katie, they were, and she did not relapse at any point in her journey. Yet for many other people, the road is less straightforward and can look something more like: detox, inpatient, relapse, detox, inpatient, outpatient, relapse, detox, inpatient, etc\u2026 This is why AA (alcoholics anonymous) never labels someone as \u201crecovered.\u201d Rather, people who are facing addiction often use the word\u00a0 \u201crecovering\u201d for the rest of their lives. For Katie, detox was the hardest part of the journey. Although she decided to enter into detox out of her own volition, it was still hard for her to walk into the facility. Walking inside meant cutting off all contact with the outside world for 10-14 days and giving up alcohol forever. No champagne toast at my upcoming wedding; no beer at a baseball game; no wine in Napa. I never realized how many social events and celebrations were tied to alcohol until I started to mourn these experiences for my sister. And wow, not being able to talk to her during the hardest couple of weeks of her life\u2026 Well, it was awful. I\u2019ve always been protective of my sister, and not being able to make sure she was okay made me feel helpless, guilty, and some days, a little panicked. I mean, I knew she was okay, but I wanted to be there to go through the process alongside her, and I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 At one point during detox, an exception was made, and Katie was able to give me a brief 5-minute call. As I had hoped, she was doing fine, but she sounded tired, defeated, and just generally down. She is one of those people who is always so full of life, bubbliness, and positivity, that hearing her like this broke me. All I could do in that moment was listen, sympathize, and remind myself that the hardship she was experiencing was necessary for her long-term health and safety. We had many more of these short, monitored conversations over the next several months. Katie had no access to her cell phone until she was in sober living, so from March until May, our only communication came in the form of one or two 10-minute phone calls each week. My life started to revolve around these calls. When would my phone ring? What should I say? Should I tell her about my day? Or just ask how she is doing? Am I saying the right things? What happens if I say the wrong thing? Being so intrinsically connected to her for all of my 25 years -- then suddenly being severely cut off from her -- was one of the hardest things I\u2019ve experienced. In the grand scheme of things, Katie was set up for success. She was a functioning alcoholic: she binge-drank most nights but she didn\u2019t touch alcohol until 7pm and was sober at work, at family events, etc. Her journey to recovery was much easier than most people\u2019s, but it was hard nonetheless. And that I expected. I knew that recovery was going to be hard for my sister, but I never quite grasped the toll it took on the families of those who are in recovery. I certainly wasn\u2019t the only person in my family to be impacted. Our parents were heartbroken and often felt guilty. Had they done something to cause this? Was dropping her off at this facility the right thing to do? What would these two months in rehab mean for my sister\u2019s career, friendships, and independence? But the truth is, addiction is a disease, as much as diabetes or asthma. In fact, the Brain Disease Model of Addiction, or BDMA, recognizes that there are a combination of neurobiological, genetic, environmental, and social factors that lead to addiction. For the most part, becoming an addict is out of the addicted person\u2019s control.\u00a0 Many people might have a knee-jerk reaction to that statement \u2013 I know I did at first. Honestly, I thought it was irresponsible for Katie\u2019s treatment program to endorse a view that diffused her responsibility in the matter. But I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.\u00a0 Evidence-based treatments are just that --- research-, data- and evidence-based. And once Katie understood her alcoholism was predisposed, it empowered her toward recovery. She no longer thought she could escape it. She no longer thought that maybe one day she could drink \u201cnormally.\u201d She was able to recognize and fully accept her condition and start her walk down the path of recovery. The other benefit of the Brain Disease Model of Addiction is that it empowers people who are facing addiction to seek out medical and non-medical treatments, just as one might for anxiety or depression. Seeing a therapist and attending AA meetings is highly recommended -- just like seeing a therapist is for other mental health conditions -- but there is also a chemical component to addiction, similar to the way that low serotonin levels are associated with depression and anxiety. As such, BDMA encourages people with addiction to seek out a combination of medical, social, and environmental treatments. And as we know with other mental health diagnoses, having a combination of treatments is often more effective than just having one. I am so proud to share Katie\u2019s story this National Recovery Month. Her recovery has defined her in the best ways possible. Although addiction is usually shrouded with stigma, Katie\u2019s doesn\u2019t feel like something to be embarrassed of or ashamed about. It\u2019s something to be celebrated! In fact, for the past three years, I\u2019ve hosted her annual soberversary party! Katie\u2019s recovery turned her back into the ray of sunshine I grew up with. It made her realize the impact of her actions on other people, and it made her the happiest, healthiest version of herself. It is, without a doubt, the thing I am most proud of her for. It wasn\u2019t easy for her to get this far and the journey will continue to be hard. But I will always be in her corner, advocating for her, supporting her, and celebrating each milestone along the way. Kaela Sosa is co-founder and Manager, Curriculum and Programming at The Diversity Movement. Her expertise includes psychology, gender identity and sexual orientation and racial identities. Kaela has written and spoken about a range of topics: active allyship, the inclusive talent lifecycle, disability etiquette, LGBTQ+ inclusion and inclusive language. At The Diversity Movement, she leads the development and execution of learning programs, including digital learning, online courses, certificate programs and certification opportunities. Connect with or follow Kaela on Linkedin to learn more.\", \"US English Male\");\n                }\n            };\n        <\/script>\n    <\/br><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Recovery Month, also known simply as Recovery Month, is held each year throughout the month of September to celebrate the progress made by people in recovery. It also aims to educate others on the successful impacts of substance use treatment and mental health services. Recovery month helps to destigmatize addiction and reinforce the truth that <\/span><b>people can, and do, recover<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just a few years ago, this annual recognition meant little to me. I was a naive, recent college graduate who did not personally know (or, more likely, didn\u2019t <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">know<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that I knew) anyone facing addiction or in recovery. However, in March of 2020, something life changing occurred that shifted my view of recovery and addiction forever &#8212; my twin sister, Katie, became sober. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5171\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5171\" style=\"width: 214px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5171 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"twin sisters Katie (left) smiling at Kaela (right)\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-scaled-600x840.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-731x1024.jpg 731w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-1463x2048.jpg 1463w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Image-from-iOS-18-scaled.jpg 1829w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 214px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 214\/300;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5171\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katie (left) and Kaela (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you should know about my sister and me is that we are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">close<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You know the old cliches about twins being inseparable? We&#8217;re like that, but even closer. We talk every day; we erupt into what we like to call \u2018sissy giggles\u2019 every time we are together; and we understand each other intuitively like no one else can. So, let me tell you, her recovery was difficult \u2013 of course for her, but also for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never realized how many steps there are to recovery. First there\u2019s detox, then in-patient rehabilitation, then hybrid rehabilitation, then outpatient rehabilitation, then sober living, and so on until the person feels they can successfully continue recovery independently. And <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK64208\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">these steps aren\u2019t always linear<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Luckily, for Katie, they were, and she did not relapse at any point in her journey. Yet for many other people, the road is less straightforward and can look something more like: detox, inpatient,<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> relapse<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, detox, inpatient, outpatient, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relapse<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, detox, inpatient, etc\u2026 This is why AA (alcoholics anonymous) never labels someone as \u201crecovered.\u201d Rather, people who are facing addiction often use the word\u00a0 \u201crecovering\u201d for the rest of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Katie, detox was the hardest part of the journey. Although she decided to enter into detox out of her own volition, it was still hard for her to walk into the facility. Walking inside meant cutting off all contact with the outside world for 10-14 days and giving up alcohol forever. No champagne toast at my upcoming wedding; no beer at a baseball game; no wine in Napa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never realized how many social events and celebrations were tied to alcohol until I started to mourn these experiences for my sister. And wow, not being able to talk to her during the hardest couple of weeks of her life\u2026 Well, it was awful. I\u2019ve always been protective of my sister, and not being able to make sure she was okay made me feel helpless, guilty, and some days, a little panicked. I mean, I <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">knew<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> she was okay, but I wanted to be there to go through the process alongside her, and I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At one point during detox, an exception was made, and Katie was able to give me a brief 5-minute call. As I had hoped, she was doing fine, but she sounded tired, defeated, and just generally down. She is one of those people who is always so full of life, bubbliness, and positivity, that hearing her like this broke me. All I could do in that moment was listen, sympathize, and remind myself that the hardship she was experiencing was necessary for her long-term health and safety.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We had many more of these short, monitored conversations over the next several months. Katie had no access to her cell phone until she was in sober living, so from March until May, our only communication came in the form of one or two 10-minute phone calls each week. My life started to revolve around these calls. When would my phone ring? What should I say? Should I tell her about my day? Or just ask how she is doing? Am I saying the right things? What happens if I say the wrong thing? Being so intrinsically connected to her for all of my 25 years &#8212; then suddenly being severely cut off from her &#8212; was one of the hardest things I\u2019ve experienced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the grand scheme of things, Katie was set up for success. She was a functioning alcoholic: she binge-drank most nights but she didn\u2019t touch alcohol until 7pm and was sober at work, at family events, etc. Her journey to recovery was much easier than most people\u2019s, but it was hard nonetheless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that I expected. I knew that recovery was going to be hard for my sister, but I never quite grasped the toll it took on the families of those who are in recovery. I certainly wasn\u2019t the only person in my family to be impacted. Our parents were heartbroken and often felt guilty. Had they done something to cause this? Was dropping her off at this facility the right thing to do? What would these two months in rehab mean for my sister\u2019s career, friendships, and independence?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the truth is, addiction is a disease, as much as diabetes or asthma. In fact, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hazeldenbettyford.org\/education\/bcr\/addiction-research\/brain-disease-model-ru-316\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brain Disease Model of Addiction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or BDMA, recognizes that there are a combination of neurobiological, genetic, environmental, and social factors that lead to addiction. <\/span><b>For the most part, becoming an addict is out of the addicted person\u2019s control.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people might have a knee-jerk reaction to that statement \u2013 I know I did at first. Honestly, I thought it was irresponsible for Katie\u2019s treatment program to endorse a view that diffused her responsibility in the matter. But I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evidence-based treatments are just that &#8212; research-, data- and evidence-based. And once Katie understood her alcoholism was predisposed, it empowered her toward recovery. She no longer thought she could escape it. She no longer thought that maybe one day she could drink \u201cnormally.\u201d She was able to recognize and fully accept her condition and start her walk down the path of recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other benefit of the Brain Disease Model of Addiction is that it empowers people who are facing addiction to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drugabuse.gov\/publications\/drugfacts\/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seek out medical <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">non-medical treatments<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, just as one might for anxiety or depression. Seeing a therapist and attending AA meetings is highly recommended &#8212; just like seeing a therapist is for other mental health conditions &#8212; but there is also a chemical component to addiction, similar to the way that low serotonin levels are associated with depression and anxiety. As such, BDMA encourages people with addiction to seek out a combination of medical, social, and environmental treatments. And as we know with other mental health diag<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">noses, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/ptsd-guideline\/patients-and-families\/medication-or-therapy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having a combination of treatments is often more effective than just having one<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12884\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12884\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12884 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/unnamed-225x300.png\" alt=\"Katie and Kaela at Katie's soberversary party\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/unnamed-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/unnamed-300x400.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/unnamed.png 384w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 225px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 225\/300;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12884\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katie and Kaela at Katie&#8217;s soberversary party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am so proud to share Katie\u2019s story this National Recovery Month. Her recovery has defined her in the best ways possible. Although addiction is usually shrouded with stigma, Katie\u2019s doesn\u2019t feel like something to be embarrassed of or ashamed about. It\u2019s something to be celebrated! In fact, for the past three years, I\u2019ve hosted her annual soberversary party!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Katie\u2019s recovery turned her back into the ray of sunshine I grew up with. It made her realize the impact of her actions on other people, and it made her the happiest, healthiest version of herself. It is, without a doubt, the thing I am most proud of her for. It wasn\u2019t easy for her to get this far and the journey will continue to be hard. But I will always be in her corner, advocating for her, supporting her, and celebrating each milestone along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/team\/kaela-sosa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>Kaela Sosa<\/i><\/b><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is co-founder and Manager, Curriculum and Programming at The Diversity Movement. Her expertise includes psychology, gender identity and sexual orientation and racial identities. Kaela has written and spoken about a range of topics: active allyship, the inclusive talent lifecycle, disability etiquette, LGBTQ+ inclusion and inclusive language. At The Diversity Movement, she leads the development and execution of learning programs, including digital learning, online courses, certificate programs and certification opportunities. Connect with or follow <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kaela-sosa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kaela<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Linkedin to learn more.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Recovery Month, also known simply as Recovery Month, is held each year throughout the month of September to celebrate the progress made by people in recovery. It also aims15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5170,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[74,72,79],"tdm_type":[92],"class_list":["post-5141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","tag-diversity-holidays","tag-mental-health-wellness","tag-personal-stories","tdm_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>National Recovery Month: A Personal Reflection - The Diversity Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recovery month helps to destigmatize addiction and reinforce the truth that people can, and do, recover. 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