By Cecilia Bianco, April 20 2015
Addiction to alcohol and other drugs impacts more than 85 million Americans. This growing problem has sparked a coast-to-coast addiction and recovery awareness campaign: UNITE to Face Addiction.
UNITE to Face Addiction is a new collaborative grassroots advocacy effort that will partner with hundreds of local, state and national participating organizations “to make history for the addiction crisis on The National Mall.”
On Oct. 4, 2015, this inspiring group invites you to join them at a national rally that will aim to “transform the conversation from problems to solutions” for what they believe is one of the most pressing health and civil rights issues of our time. The rally will take place in Washington, DC.
In light of Alcohol Awareness Month, this organization and the upcoming rally can serve as motivators for your community to join together in the fight to break addictions and improve the health and well being of us all.
Campaign Director of UNITE to Face Addiction, Greg Williams, in his appeal for communities to join UNITE at the October rally, writes:
“We know that addiction is preventable, treatable and people can and do get well. Too many of those affected have been incarcerated; they and others are afraid to speak up about the failed policies and poor care they receive due to long-standing stigma and discriminatory public policies. They have yet to be recognized as a political force because politicians assume they don't vote and, indeed, many have had their voting rights revoked. For too long, a great majority of people connected to addiction have remained silent . . . UNTIL NOW!”
Williams also released a documentary film in 2013 called The Anonymous People, which tells the story of the emerging new recovery advocacy movement. This film can serve as an additional resource to your community as we journey through Alcohol Awareness Month.
You can sign up to receive updates from UNITE to Face Addiction on the campaign's new website, which will officially launch in two weeks.
For more resources about Alcohol Awareness Month, see our past reporting:
Updated: February 08 2018