Many Achieve Recovery
from Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders
September is National
Recovery Month
On August 19th, actor Colton Haynes, star of the
hit television show Arrow, shared a
slideshow of photos of himself in the hospital on his Instagram account, a year
after he landed in the emergency room following a week-long drug and alcohol
bender. Along with the photos, Haynes shared that he has been focusing on his
sobriety and wants to be open with his followers about his struggles, in hopes
of helping someone else who may be struggling with mental health and substance
use issues. He stated, “I get immense joy when someone comes up to me and says
that my willingness to open up about depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and
addiction has helped them in some way…I’m a human being with flaws just like
you. If you’re in the middle of the dark times… I promise you it doesn’t have
to last forever.”
Nearly every day, we read and hear about substance use
disorders, mental illnesses and related deaths. While it is important to build
awareness about substance use and mental health disorders, it is especially
critical to highlight the fact that treatment for both types of illnesses is
effective.
The successes that individuals are achieving, as well as the
roles that mental health care and substance use treatment play, need to be
shared to help build confidence in the prospect of recovery among those who are
struggling with these illnesses. Sharing such positive stories would be a
tremendous help in the ongoing battle against stigma, which is the greatest
barrier that prevents individuals from seeking treatment.
By encouraging individuals to speak up about their struggles
and ask for help, and ensuring access to the services that have been proven to
be effective, many lives could be saved – not only by addressing the substance
use and mental health disorders, but also by reducing the risk of suicide,
which is a common result of untreated addictions and mental illnesses.
