Each year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) uses September to celebrate National Recovery Month (Recovery Month). Although it is officially observed in September, Recovery Month recognizes and lauds the gains made by individuals in recovery from substance use disorders and mental health problems throughout the year.  It also recognizes the efforts of treatment providers and families who support those in recovery.

Recovery Month celebrates recovery throughout the year by sharing news and resources, showcasing events, and highlighting personal stories of recovery. This summer, we are hosting Twitter chats to discuss recovery and other related topics with an expert. A Twitter chat is an organized discussion surrounding a particular topic that occurs within Twitter. Our inaugural Recovery Month Twitter chat will be co-hosted by Frances Harding, Director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and will focus on prevention and early intervention for substance use and mental disorders. We are hosting the chat on June 2 at 3:30 p.m.

We invite you to join us by asking questions and contributing to the dialogue about prevention and early intervention. To participate, Twitter users should use the designated hashtag (#RecoveryChat) to track and participate in the conversation. Participants should add #RecoveryChat to the end of each question or comment they submit to signify their involvement in the conversation. We encourage you share your stories about prevention, early intervention, and learnings of what worked or what didn’t work for you or for others. We are looking to not only answer questions, but also help others know that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.

Don’t have a Twitter account or aren’t available at that time? Please tweet your questions using the hashtag, post the questions on our Facebook Page, or e-mail us at recoverymonthfan@samhsa.hhs.gov. We will incorporate your question into the conversation. Otherwise, you can tweet your questions and participate in the conversation starting at 3:30 p.m.

Please help spread the word about the Twitter chat with your family, friends, Twitter followers, and Facebook friends as we look to have a healthy, informative dialogue about prevention and early information.

To learn more about Recovery Month or find resources about recovery, please visit our website. You can also follow our Twitter account or like our Facebook page to find additional Recovery Month updates.