Proclamation calls attention
to addiction recovery month
By linda denicola
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Labor Day weekend was the time for one last summer party, many of which had to be moved inside because of the rain. The wet weather didn’t dampen partygoers’ enthusiasm for drinking everything from cold beer and iced margaritas to shots of rum and vodka.
So it seems appropriate that September has been named National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.
At the Aug. 27 Township Committee meeting, a proclamation was read acknowledging that alcohol and drug addiction are major public health problems that affect millions of Americans of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. It is a disease that has huge medical, societal and economic costs, according to the proc-lamation.
This year’s theme, "Join the Voices of Recovery: A Call to Action," invites all segments of society to join the recovery community in supporting more quality treatment programs and services in an effort to eradicate the disease.
Along with the Freehold Community Counseling Service and the Freehold Community Alliance to Prevent Alcohol-ism and Drug Abuse, the proclamation encourages all residents to support this year’s theme.
According to Committeeman Raymond Kershaw, who is vice chairman of the alliance, one way people can be supportive is to encourage relatives or friends who may have an addiction problem to get the help they need.
"There’s a lot of help available. They can call the counseling center where there are people who can help, or who will route them to where they can go for help," he said.
According to the proclamation, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month celebrates the individuals who have engaged in successful treatment, families in recovery and those in the treatment field who dedicate their lives to helping people recover from addiction.
The proclamation also states that there are millions of people who are successfully recovering from alcohol and drug addiction, many of whom are residents of Freehold Township.