National Recovery Month recognized at state capitol

By Christina Lengyel | The Center Square contributor

HARRISBURG, PA – Gov. Josh Shapiro joined the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts at the Capitol this week for an “Arts Heal” event in honor of National Recovery Month.

Rather than focusing on the sobering numbers of those lost to substance use disorders across the commonwealth, Recovery Month seeks to put the spotlight on the work being done by individuals and across communities to face the challenges of illness and addiction.

“In Pennsylvania, we put the healing power of the arts on full display as a reminder of just how meaningful music, drawing, painting, poetry and other forms of art can be in so many individuals’ recovery journey,” said Dr. Latika Davis-Jones, the department’s secretary.

Included in the display was a digital art gallery created by the council and the PA Organization for Women in Early Recovery, or POWER, based in Allegheny County.

“Regardless of the art form, creativity provides immeasurable comfort to many, and a means to build identity, better understand ourselves, and work through the uniquely personal journey that is the pathway to recovery and beyond,” said Karl Blischke, the council’s executive director.

This year’s theme emphasizes the breadth of those impacted by substance abuse and mental health disorders and has become the permanent tagline for the movement, “Every Person. Every Family. Every Community.”

“At the crux of our efforts is eliminating stigma and clearing a path for someone to take that first step on their road to recovery, and to remind them that no one is alone on that journey,” said Davis-Jones.

For more than a decade, the opioid crisis has overwhelmed healthcare resources and communities across the state. In 2021 alone, more than 5,100 Pennsylvanians died from an overdose.

Just as progress is made in accountability for the proliferation of prescription drugs of abuse, deaths have begun to skyrocket from a new threat — the non-opioid tranquilizer xylazine, which is a frequent additive to heroin and fentanyl-based drug supplies.

“My administration is taking a multidisciplinary approach to the overdose and opioid crisis, one that embraces support for recovery and treatment services,” said Shapiro. “Because we all know that addiction is a disease, not a crime – and that we cannot simply arrest our way out of this crisis.”

At the national level, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, has spearheaded efforts to promote recovery options and initiatives, including harm reduction, a priority of the Biden administration’s federal drug policy.

Harm reduction includes education and services like needle exchanges, infectious disease screening, and distribution of the overdose reversal medication, naloxone. Advocates are hopeful that de-stigmatization of these disorders will open the door to recovery for greater numbers of people and make lifesaving resources more accessible for those in crisis.