Why We Need This Campaign
RecoveryNC is a campaign of necessity. In any given year, more that one half million North Carolinians need but do not receive treatment for an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. In the best of economic times it is an ongoing struggle to get public officials and the general public to understand both the enormity of the public health problem of addiction to drug and alcohol in this country, as well as the tremendous benefits that come from funding appropriate treatment and recovery support services. Studies have demonstrated that every dollar dedicated to the treatment of persons with addictions is returned sevenfold to communities in the form of a reduction in criminal activity, highway injuries and death, healthcare and social welfare costs, not to mention a reduction in domestic violence and child abuse and neglect. Treatment dollars also contribute to increased job and school productivity, reduced absenteeism and on-the-job injuries, all of which result in safer and more stable families and neighborhoods.

We have all been exposed to the negative effects of addiction in the media, on the streets of our home towns and through personal experience. However, it is much more difficult to see the success stories. Shame and stigma have had an extremely detrimental effect on people with addiction as well as those who have achieved stable long-term recovery. Those in active addiction are less likely to seek treatment for fear of losing their families and homes, their jobs and health insurance. Those in recovery are ashamed and therefore reluctant to admit or share what they have achieved. And yet, if more persons would be willing to show, through their own life experiences, that they have been able to overcome the disease of addiction, genuine strides toward getting the public to accept addiction as a chronic, recurring health problem with characteristics similar to diabetes, hypertension and asthma, and equally common relapse rates, the stigma toward those persons would be greatly reduced.

In these times of unprecedented fiscal constraints, when the competition for rapidly shrinking government dollars is at its fiercest, and statistics show that in any given year more than a half a million adults and another 50,000 adolescents need but do not receive treatment in our state, a new and more positive approach to the problem of addiction has emerged.

What Is It and What Does It Do?
Initiated in September of 2008, to coincide with the celebration of National Recovery Month, the RecoveryNC Campaign began as a vehicle through which persons in recovery from addictions can feel proud to emerge together in numbers along with their families, friends, advocates and the treatment and recovery provider community. Begun with minimal state support the campaign is a statewide effort to provide a vehicle through which interested persons can speak out.

The RecoveryNC Campaign:

• Supports Recovery from Addiction in North Carolina
• Empowers those in the Recovery Community who want to register to have a voice
• Diminishes stigma attached to addiction by demonstrating the value recovering people bring to their communities
• Provides an advocacy platform for those interested in influencing health policy
• Provides a virtual community for recovering people, their families, friends and supporters where hope and help can be shared

This website www.recoverync.org has been designed to permit persons to be counted as supporters of addiction recovery by providing, at a minimum, their names and the counties they live in. Campaign petitions and postcards are also available to collect signup information. Personal information is not intended to be shared, but will be used for statistical purposes and to verify the legitimacy of the Campaign. In the six months since its inception, the RecoveryNC Campaign has collected signatures from over 4,000 persons in our state.

The Standing Committee
A Campaign Standing Committee, currently consisting of sixteen persons from across the state, who have come forth individually to volunteer their time in an advisory capacity to the Campaign, meets on a monthly basis to expand both the reach and scope of the Campaign. This Committee has a vision that North Carolinians will understand the value of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and its significance to the well-being of our communities. Their mission to accomplish the vision is to educate and advocate for recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in North Carolina.

The Standing Committee, itself, is a testament to the reality and power of recovery. The majority of its members are in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction, or both, with a combined total of more than 200 years of sobriety. Each member is a gainfully employed, tax paying member of society.

How You Can Help
We welcome all who are interested in joining our ranks to make a positive change in the delivery of addiction treatment and recovery services and the reduction of stigma through the promotion of the RecoveryNC Campaign.

We also seek to establish media contacts and are actively seeking funding contributions to expand its reach across North Carolina. Persons interested in contributing support in any manner to the RecoveryNC Campaign should contact the Campaign Coordinator or one of the Standing Committee members listed under the CONTACTS tab.