O U R S T O R I E S H A V E P O W E R :R E C O V E R Y C O M M U N I T Y M E S S A G I N G T R A I N I N G

GROUND RULES

• No cell phones

• Raise your hand before you talk

• Be respectful of what others say!

• This is a safe, judge-free environment!

ICEBREAKER

•Where is your favorite place on Earth and why?

•Who would you invite to a dinner party – dead

or alive?

•What superhero power would you like to have?

•Who is your biggest cheerleader?

•What's your biggest dream?

OUR GOALS:

• Learn about messaging

• Learn about how stigma impacts the recovery community

• Learn how to tell your recovery story to your friends and family in a non-stigmatizing manner

• Learn how to use recovery messages in all parts of your life, including representing the organized recovery community in the media and other public places

STIGMA

• What is stigma?

• How are people in recovery portrayed in the media?

• What perpetuates stigma?

• What areas of your life are impacted by stigma?

• What are ways to reduce or change the stigma

towards addiction?

Your Message!

RECOVERY COMMUNITY:

• People in recovery from alcohol and other drug use

disorders, their family members, friends, and allies

FACES AND VOICES OF RECOVERY:• Organizing and mobilizing the millions of Americans in long-term

recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction, our families, friends,

and allies, to speak with one voice.

• Changing public perceptions of recovery

• Promoting effective public policy in Washington, D.C. and in all 50 states

• Keeping a focus on the fact that recovery works and is making life better

for over 20 million Americans.

• Raises the recovery movement’s national profile

• Supports local recovery advocacy and recovery community

organizations

It is our mission to bring the power and proof of recovery to everyone in

America!

MANY PATHWAYS TO RECOVERY:

• Mutual support/mutual assistance

• Professional treatment

• Faith/religious

• Medication-assisted

• Criminal justice/Drug Court

• “Natural” or on your own

• And many more

WHAT IS A MESSAGE?

• An exchange of information using words

• The most important information you want your

listener to hear

It is crucial that you know what you want to say and

leave in people’s minds.

H O W I M P O R TA N T I S A M E S S A G E ?

GROUNDED IN RESEARCH:

Recovery Community

• 88% believe it is very important for the American public to see that thousands get

every year

General Public

• A majority of Americans (63%) have been affected by addiction

• A majority (67%) believe that there is a stigma toward people in recovery

• A majority (74%) say that attitudes & policies must change

WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?

Family Employer

sNeighbors

Friends

Peers

Media

ProfessorsPublic Officials

Co-workers

Everyone

YOUR MESSAGING GOALS:

• Have effective, credible language that you can use to talk about your life and experiences

• Know how to use the message in different situations

• Make it possible for more people to get well

HOPE

PERSONALIZING THE MESSAGE:

• There are many ways to develop a message

• Messages aren’t designed as one-size-fits-all

• Our message has been adapted for many different groups:

– People using medication in their recovery

– Family members who have lost loved ones to addiction and

others

Find your own voice by using these messages as a guide.

YOUR FRAME OF MIND:

• Speak with one voice

• Make it personal; it adds credibility and breaks down

misperceptions

• Talk about your recovery, not your addiction – your recovery

story

12 – STEP ANONYMITY

•These messages don’t violate the traditions of

your 12 -step fellowship

•Help us educate others in 12 -step groups

about their right to speak out!

CORE MESSAGE:

The Problem:

• Need more opportunities for people to achieve long-term recovery

• Need more effective treatment and recovery support services

• There are discriminatory policies

• The public and policymakers don’t know about the reality of recovery

CORE MESSAGE:

The Solution:

• A strong national recovery movement organized at the local,

state and federal levels

• Putting a face and a voice on recovery to break down

misperceptions that will change attitudes (stigma)

• Advocating to change policies (discrimination)

PUTTING A FACE & A VOICE ON RECOVERY: MESSAGE FOR A YOUNG PERSON IN RECOVERY

• I’m [your first and last name] and I am a young person in long-term

recovery, which means that I have not used alcohol or other drugs since

I was [x] years old.

• Today I’m [y] years old and in long term recovery for [z] years.

• Long-term recovery has given me new hope and stability. I’ve been able

to create a better life for myself, my family and my community.

• I’m speaking out to offer hope and so that others have the opportunity

to achieve long-term recovery, as I have.

PUTTING A FACE & A VOICE ON RECOVERY: MESSAGE FOR A RECOVERY ALLY• I’m [your first and last name] and I am a recovery ally, which means that I have a

______(friend) or ______(family) member in long term recovery.

• Their long-term recovery has given my family new hope and stability. I am proud of

_____ and want to share how recovery has impacted me. (use specifics)

• I’m speaking out to offer hope and so that others have the opportunity to achieve

long-term recovery, as my ______ has.

NOTE: if you choose someone impacted by active addiction, make sure to use person-centered language. For example: My friend/parent has a substance use disorder…

WHAT’S NOT IN A MESSAGE AND WHY

• I’m an addict (or alcoholic)

• I’m a recovering addict (or alcoholic)

• Addiction is a disease

• Information about 12-step programs, for examples

membership in AA or NA or Al-Anon

• A “definition” of recovery

YOUR ADDICTION STORY

•What’s the purpose of sharing your addiction

story?

•When are appropriate times?

WORDS HAVE POWER:

“Words have immense power to wound or heal…The right

words catalyze personal transformation and offer invitations to

citizenship and community service. The wrong words stigmatize

and dis-empower.” - William White Author and Recovery Advocate

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE:

Words/Concepts We Need

to Abandon

• Abuse

• Self-Help

• Untreated

Alcoholics/Untreated

Addicts

• The Language of Self-Pity

Words/Concepts to Discuss and Debate

• Treatment Works

• Consumer

• Stigma, Enable, Relapse

• Recovering/Recovered

• “Tough love”

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE:

Words/Concepts We Need to

Elevate and Celebrate

•Recovery, Recovery Community/

Communities of Recovery

•Advocacy, Sustainability

•Recovery Support Services/

Recovery Coach

•Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care

•Living Proof

•Story

•Responsibility, Gratitude, Service

TRIED, TRUE, AND TESTED

• BE CONFIDENT, people all across America are using

this messaging

• Thousands of people have been trained and are using

recovery messaging

IT WORKS!

STUDENTS IN RECOVERY MESSAGING GOALS

• Expand opportunities for recovery

• Mobilize and organize the recovery community to advocate

for own rights and needs

• Break down discriminatory barriers

• Build our national recovery advocacy movement

• Achieve a just response to addiction as a health crisis

WHEN CAN I USE THE MESSAGE?

• When talking to your family, friends and neighbors

• When writing (articles, newsletters, blogging, etc.)

• When talking to elected officials, public policy makers and others in government

• When being interviewed or speaking in public

• ALWAYS!

• Where can you see yourself sharing your message?

USING THE MESSAGE WITH MEDIA

• Understand your role

• Know your audience

• Know what you want to

say

• Say it

• Say it again

• Preparation is key! * Preferably have been in recovery

for at least two years

APPLYING YOUR MESSAGE

• 2 or 3 key points supported by examples

• Around 30 second responses

• Everything you say should restate or reinforce your message

• Stick to your message – don’t offer the other side a platform by bringing up their position

• Don’t be afraid to repeat your message

– You want to be sure that everything that is used from the interview includes your message

TECHNIQUES: STAYING ON MESSAGE

• If you get a question you don’t want to answer, change the

question by using a transitional or “pivoting” phrase such as:

– “Another thing to remember…”

– “That’s not my area of expertise, but what I can tell you is…”

– “Another way of thinking about this is…”

– “Thank you for asking, but I’d like to focus on…”

– “The most important thing to remember…”

Q&A

• Q: How is it possible that you can already be in long-term recovery at such a young

age?

• A: Addiction can happen to anyone at any age, and the consequences are equally

devastating whether a person is a teenager or already a mature adult. What is

important to know is that long-term recovery definitely is possible at any age,

including during youth; I myself am living proof of this. Whenever people enter

recovery, because they are no longer using alcohol or other drugs, they can work on

reclaiming and rebuilding their lives and relationships.

Q&A

• Q: How could you tell you were addicted and not just going through some phase or

set of adolescent changes, as your friends seemed to be doing?

• A: Thank you for asking. I’m here to talk about my life today. I was able to get the help

that I needed to stop using alcohol and other drugs and today I’m speaking out so

that other young people can get the help they need, when they need it. We need more

services and support for young people – so that they can have a safe place to live and

go to school once they stop using alcohol or other drugs.

Q&A

• Q: Do you feel isolated from other young people, or very different? How do you cope

with that?

• A: My life in recovery is incredible! I’ve found new friends and new ways to socialize.

It’s been great to find other young people in recovery and build healthy friendships

with them. The more time that I am in recovery, the easier it is to get more confident

and build bigger networks of friends at school, work and in the community.

Q&A

• Q: What was it like to be an addict?

• A: What I can tell you about is recovery. As a young person in long-term recovery, I’ve

been able to create a better life or myself as I mature into adulthood. Since I entered

long-term recovery at the age of [x], which was [y] years ago, I’ve finished college and

am applying to graduate programs. I also have become engaged, and am much closer

to my family as a result of my recovery

ROLEPLAYING

• Separate into groups of 2-3 people

• One person be reporter

• One person be interviewee

• One person be observer… help the interviewee if you

get stuck!

WHERE TO GET THIS INFORMATION

• Faces and Voices of Recovery website has many free resources available to the public

– Webinar

– Handouts

– Tip sheets

– Etc.

• http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/

CO N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N :

E I G E N M A N N H A L L W E S T, R O O M 7 2 6

( 8 1 2 ) 8 5 6 - 3 8 9 8

OA S I S @ I N D I A N A . E D U