New Brochure Calls On People In Recovery To Speak Out

National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
Tuesday, 1 September 1998

Millions of people in the United States are successfully in recovery from alcohol and drug addictions. But their success is mostly invisible. As a result, there is little public understanding about the efficacy of treatment or support to provide it to those who need it.

Advocacy with Anonymity, a new brochure, was created to change this fact. It encourages people in recovery to speak out and share their experiences with policy makers, civic groups and other community leaders.

In the past, people who belong to 12-step programs have been hesitant to speak out because they feared that by doing so they would violate the anonymity traditions that exist in such groups. Many of these programs restrict members from mentioning their participation in a specifically named group.

However, unbeknownst to many people in recovery, members of 12-step programs can talk about the success they have had in overcoming their addiction without directly naming the group to which they belong.

"This distinction is an important point, and clarifying it was the driving force behind the creation of the brochure," explains David Rosenbloom, the director of Join Together. "Our hope is that by doing so, we can make some modest contribution to the debate regarding the difference between anonymity and advocacy, and at the same time help to move the recovery movement forward."

"We need people in recovery to stand up and be counted," adds Paul Wood, Ph.D., president of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD). "When enough of them act on the advice offered in Advocacy with Anonymity, it will greatly help reduce the stigma that prevents addiction from being treated like other life-threatening health problems."

Advocacy with Anonymity was produced by NCADD in conjunction with Join Together, a Boston University School of Public Health staff resource which helps communities fight substance abuse. Individuals can receive a free copy of the brochure by calling Join Together at 617/437-1500 or downloading it from Join Together Online at www.jointogether.org.

For more information, or to contact National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, see their website at: www.ncadd.org