ADMH is pleased to announce that the Addiction Coalition has been chosen as the winner of the first-ever Celebrate Recovery Challenge! Its Real People, Real Stories online event was chosen by mental health stakeholders and the general public as the event that best embodied the purpose of Recovery Month by increasing awareness and decreasing stigma. Read the winning submission-
Addiction Coalition: Real People, Real Stories

Nearly 8,600 votes were cast in the inaugural challenge. ADMH would like to thank the four other organizations who also entered submissions: Aletheia House hosted a Recovering Through Art & Poetry Expressions event in Birmingham, Cahaba Mental Health Center & Cahaba CARES hosted their 3rd Annual Recovery Month Celebration in Selma, The Drug Education Council, Faces & Voices of Recovery and NAMI-Mobile hosted a 6th Annual Recovery Month Celebration and Spirit of Recovery Awards Presentation in Mobile, and SpectraCare Health Systems’ traveling Touchdown Recovery display and informational booth appeared in four different locations throughout southeast Alabama. Thank you to everyone who voted as well for making the first-ever Celebrate Recovery Challenge such a success!

The Celebrate Recovery Challenge was hosted by ADMH as another component of Alabama’s celebration of National Recovery Month, held annually during the month of September. Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Recovery Month seeks to promote the societal benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery from mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Raising awareness is a crucial component of Recovery Month, and organizations throughout Alabama have traditionally hosted events statewide to celebrate the observance and help promote its message.

As the winner of the Celebrate Recovery Challenge, the Addiction Coalition will be highlighted on the ADMH website for the next year under the Substance Abuse section. Staff from the Addiction Coalition will also receive a Certificate of Recognition from Governor Robert Bentley and have a commemorative picture taken with the governor, ADMH Commissioner Jim Reddoch, and Associate Commissioner for the Division of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services Dr. Beverly Bell-Shambley.