Your Health: September is Recovery Month

September is national Recovery Moth. Mental health and substance use disorders impact individuals living in North Dakota and within Barnes County.

Recovery and sobriety are two different things. Sobriety focuses primarily on the abstinence of using a person’s drug of choice. In contrast, when a person is in recovery, the goals include: improving the individual’s health & wellness; allowing them to live a self-directed life; and helping them to achieve their fullest potential.

Recovery is always personfirst. We look to “meet people where they are at” which means the support will acknowledge their unique experiences and needs.

In Barnes County, the Behavioral Health Coalition is working together to support individuals who are ready for recovery, by:

Connecting people to education, counseling, and referral to treatment for infectious diseases and addiction.

Providing opioid overdose reversal medications, such as Narcan, to individuals at risk of overdose, or to those who might respond to an overdose in the community.

Reducing the spread of disease among people who use drugs, including those who inject drugs.

Reducing stigma associated with substance use and addiction.

Promoting hope and healing by connecting people with their peers who have lived experience in recovery.

Additionally, to help individuals achieve their fullest potential and to live a selfdirected life, support is provided to remove barriers to a stable and safe place to live, transportation, jobs or education to support an individual’s purpose, and healthcare providers to support an individual’s physical and emotional health.

The ROPES Project provides face to face peer support groups at City-County Health District. For more information on recovery or ways you can support recovery in Barnes County, please call CityCounty Health District at 8458518 and ask for the Health Equity Coordinator.

Alexis Elton serves as the Health Equity Coordinator for City-County Health District.

Your Health is coordinated by City County Health District.