Saturday, March 1st, participants from Celebrate Recovery at Christian Church of Loudon County joined others across the region meeting folks who are successfully working on their recovery. The event was hosted by Align9 and Watts Bar Community Church in Decatur, TN.
Align9 is working with the University of Tennessee Public Health Director, Dr. Ken Smith, to create a certified Recovery Community Organization. A RCO is an independent, non-profit organization led and governed by representatives of local communities of recovery. Participants from Blount, Hamilton, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan, Monroe, Rhea and Roane Counties were present.
RCO’s organize recovery-focused activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs, and provide peer-based recovery support services. The sole mission of an RCO is to mobilize resources within and outside of the recovery community to increase the prevalence and quality of long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Participants learned how to become Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRS) through a program offered by Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (TDMHSA) for those who have a minimum of two years in a successful journey from mental health or substance abuse issue and learn how to use their lived experiences to help others.
Leif Becker, a motivational speaker and the world record holder in martial arts board breaking used his martial arts skills to encourage participants to identify and break through some of life’s challenges and they rolled out opportunities for building successful futures with an opportunity to engage with others across the region through Align9’s program called “Find Your Adventure.”
The Center for Disease Control states that “social connectedness reflects the continuum of meeting social connection needs. It is the degree to which you have the number, quality, and variety of relationships that you want. It is when you feel like you belong and have the support and care that you need.”
The activities planned for this year will reinforce a sense of belonging through a variety of activities. The activities planned for March are two hikes. The first hike was on March 8 at Frozen Head State Park and the second hike is on March 22 at Obed Wild & Scenic River. Both hikes are from 10AM-2PM and are considered beginner-friendly hiking.
You are not alone in your recovery. For more information on becoming a CPRS or to get involved in socially-connected recovery activities, please contact Jennifer Craig at (615) 772-8230 or visit www.align9.com.
