My March 18th AA Birthday Posting

Good morning my loyal and faithful readers.

I was stunned on Monday, March 28th, when I received the following email --

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Hi Bill,

Congratulations on your recent 21-year recovery anniversary—that is an amazing accomplishment! My name is Sarah Ikenberry and I am part of the Recovery Month team.

I have been reading your blog and wanted to introduce myself. I appreciate the insights that you provide to others in recovery based on your own experience. I specifically enjoyed your recent post in which you reflected on the past 21 years of your life in recovery. I’m happy to hear that your recovery has made such a positive impact in your life and that you’ve received support through your involvement with AA.

Sharing these types of insights not only help yourself, but also others who are in recovery. I encourage you to share your story on the Recovery Month website.

Every September the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) celebrates National Recovery Month (Recovery Month).

Recovery Month recognizes and lauds the gains made by individuals in recovery from substance use disorders and mental health problems. It also recognizes the efforts of treatment providers and families who support those in recovery.

You can find out more about us, the resources that we provide, as well as recovery events and news on our website, RecoveryMonth.gov. I also welcome you to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences and helping others. I look forward to keeping up with your blog.

Kind Regards,

Sarah

Sarah Ikenberry | Public Health Advisor | SAMHSA

1 Choke Cherry Rd., Room 2-1059 | Rockville, MD 20857

Tel and Fax | 240.276.2704

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I had no idea who this woman was or even the existence of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

And, she had “found” me by reading my blog - WOW!!

Did a bit of online research to verify that this was indeed a legitimate website and government agency and then emailed her back that I would be honored to contribute my March 18th blog entry to their program.

I had to fax them a release form, which I did, and then I submitted the March 18th posting, in its entirety, to their website.

I got the following email back --

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Thank you for your participation in Recovery Month!

We received your recovery story and Hold Harmless form and have posted your story to our website. You can view it here: http://www.recoverymonth.gov/Voices-for-Recovery/Stories.aspx

*Note: We had to delete references to specific names mentioned in your story.

Recovery Month

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So, my loyal and faithful readers, to view my posting go to

http://www.recoverymonth.gov/Voices-for-Recovery/Stories.aspx

and then click on my name to see the complete posting.

I just wanted to share this awe-inspiring event with you.

Bill