Year-round, recovery is an open invitation

Center City, Minn. (September 7, 2023) – The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation proudly joins the nationwide effort to celebrate National Recovery Month 2023 and amplify the theme, "Recovery is for Everyone." 

"Recovery Month is a time for us to share our voices and our stories," said Carla Fremlin, manager of alumni and recovery support at Hazelden Betty Ford, the nation's largest nonprofit system of addiction treatment, mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services. "There are so many pathways in recovery, and all are a cause for celebration. Every day, someone is taking the first steps in their journey, and by sharing our journeys with the world, we honor ourselves and help others. We demonstrate that recovery is possible and a source of hope and peace in the lives of individuals and their families." 

Each September, people throughout the country dedicate extra energy to educating the public about recovery from substance use and mental health conditions and the harms of stigma and discrimination; advocating for those who are struggling; and celebrating the millions who are living in recovery. National Recovery Month serves as an open, public invitation to all those who might benefit from changing their relationship with substance use and sends the message to policymakers and others that prioritizing and investing in recovery pays big societal dividends. 

In 2023, Hazelden Betty Ford is offering and participating in a variety of events and activities nationally to mark National Recovery Month, including:

• A Sober Tailgate Party on Sept. 30 in St. Paul, Minn., to support veteran and military families as part of the first-ever Recovery Month Day of Service — an effort spearheaded by Mobilize Recovery to harness the power of the substance use and mental health recovery community to create a better world through service. The free, outdoor party is presented with collaborators Mobilize Recovery, Bold North Recovery, Semper Fi Flo, United Heroes League, CVS Health and the Minnesota Vikings, Wild, Lynx and Timberwolves among others and is open to the public. The second-annual party will feature food, music, inspiration, fun and on-site service opportunities.
• A series of online renewal sessions on the Twelve Steps. These free events will provide information and resources to help people in recovery stay on track.
• In-person weekend retreats, including the Oregon Coastal Retreat in Newport, Ore., and Sober Mom: How to Love and Believe In You at Hazelden Betty Ford's Dan Anderson Renewal Center in Center City, Minn.
• The SHE RECOVERS® Professional Symposium, on Sept. 28 in Chicago. Entitled The Healing Power of Stories, and presented by Hazelden Betty Ford, the event will focus on holistic and inclusive solutions to help more women experience recovery from trauma, substance use, grief and loss, eating disorders, burnout, moral injury, love addiction, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues through the healing power of stories. The keynote speaker will be Lipi Roy, MD, MPH, FASAM, an internal medicine physician board-certified in addiction medicine and host of the YouTube series Health, Humor and Harmony. 
• Sober Scene, a regional Mobilize Recovery 2023 workshop, on Oct. 1. Hazelden Betty Ford in St. Paul will host up to 100 recovery advocates interested in collaborating to create more and better sober social experiences— specifically, at Minnesota entertainment venues.
• Four special episodes of the Let's Talk Addiction & Recovery podcast hosted by national recovery advocacy William C. Moyers. The new Recovery Month episodes will feature retired NBA star Willie Burton, actress Dedee Pfeiffer, noted couples therapist Dr. Robert Navarra and Moyers' own Hazelden Betty Ford colleagues Emily Piper and Jeremiah Gardner, who debunk common myths about addiction and recovery.

Hazelden Betty Ford and the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies are also sponsoring Minnesota Recovery Connection's Walk for Recovery on Sept. 9 and Oregon Recovers' series of six recovery walks. Additional activities include:

• Sept. 7 – Participating in the Recovery Month Kickoff Luncheon hosted by Faces & Voices of Recovery followed by a Walk for Recovery led by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 
• Sept. 12 – Co-sponsoring and participating in Rally Caps for Recovery at Target Field in Minneapolis. 
• Sept. 14 – Collaborating with Shatterproof and the Health Action Alliance to present a National Employer Briefing on Recovery-Ready Workplaces.
• Sept. 17-19 – Joining Grammy-award winning artist Macklemore and many others at Mobilize Recovery's 2023 Annual Meeting, for which Hazelden Betty Ford is a partnering sponsor, in Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 21 – Co-sponsoring and participating in Minnesota Recovery Connection's annual Gratitude Breakfast.
• Sept. 23 – Co-sponsoring the 3rd Annual Ghost Notes Fall Music Block Party, presented by Dissonance, in south Minneapolis.
• Sept. 23 – Co-sponsoring Recovery Community Network's Annual Recovery 5K and Picnic at Sturgis Park in Buffalo, Minn.
• Sept. 27 – Collaborating with the Clean Cause Foundation and Chris Marshall of Sans Bar to present a virtual event: "What's more valuable - safe social spaces for people in recovery or acceptance within the larger social spaces of our culture?"
• Sept. 28 – Hazelden Publishing will launch a digital version of the much-anticipated The ASAM Criteria® 4th Edition (to include embedded tools and case studies to make the criteria more user-friendly than ever before) and begin taking preorders for the hard-copy book. Utilized by care providers, insurers, educators, and others, The ASAM Criteria is the most comprehensive and widely used set of national standards for determining the appropriate level of care for patients with addiction, helping millions get on an appropriate path to recovery.
• Sept. 30 – Co-sponsoring Recovery Community Network's Annual Banquet for Recovery featuring keynote speaker and Minnesota broadcasting legend Don Shelby on Sept. 30 in St. Cloud, Minn.

Hazelden Betty Ford publishes a weekly Living in Recovery email newsletter highlighting recovery resources and events year-round, as well as a free, monthly Advocacy Update featuring news, views and engagement opportunities on a range of topics important to people and families affected by substance use disorders and recovery. Additionally, the organization offers experts to speak about recovery in the workplace.