White House Celebrates 25 Years of National Recovery Month

For the past 25 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has designated each September as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month as a means of educating Americans about addiction treatment and mental health services.

Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will pay tribute to individuals in recovery by hosting an event at the White House called “Recovery Month at the White House: Celebrating 25 Years.” The event will be streamed live from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST and will feature a panel of recovery advocates who will participate in a discussion, as well as share their own personal stories of recovery.

The panel will include former National Football League Hall and ESPN analyst Cris Carter, who is currently in recovery; Washington Post reporter Ruben Castaneda, who wrote about his path to recovery in the book S Street Rising; Christina Huffington, who will provide perspective on young people in recovery through her own experiences, and Brooklyn Center, Minnesota mayor Tim Wilson. Moderating the panel is Laurie Dhue, a former Fox News Anchor and host of TheBlaze’s news magazine For the Record, as well as a recovery advocate.

Viewers will be able to tweet questions for the panelists to the account of Michael Botticelli, Acting Director of ONDCP (@Botticelli44) by using the hashtag #[email protected] at any time prior to or during the event. The Recovery Month at the White House event seeks to raise awareness of both substance abuse disorders and recovery and help to promote the understanding that addiction is a disease. Administration priorities and accomplishment in attaining this goal will also be highlighted during the event.

Stream the event live here.

Tweet panelist questions here.