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Recovery Day 2023
Hosted by:
BASES
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
We live in a resort community in northwest lower Michigan, and alcohol and drug use have always been a major factor in the lifestyles of our community members. We have been involved in numerous recovery-related activities in these communities for the past 30 years. On April 27 2023, 25 community members participated in a day-long training in which they learned about healthy relationships, a developmental model of recovery and relapse, trauma and its influence on behavioral health issues, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) overview, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy overview, and local resources.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
We live in a resort community in northwest lower Michigan, and alcohol and drug use have always been a major factor in the lifestyles of our community members. We have been involved in numerous recovery-related activities in these communities for the past 30 years.
Which prevention strategy(ies), as defined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, best fit your Communities Talk activity?
- Information Dissemination Strategy - focuses on improving awareness and knowledge of the effects of AOD issues on communities and families through “one-way” communication with the audience such as speaking engagements, health fairs, and distribution of print materials.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- Increase education and awareness about the positive benefits of recovery.
Our activity was a major accomplishment, as it was the first face-to face training we organized since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 30 people RSVPd for the training, and 25 showed up and completed the course.
Did you accomplish your goal(s)?
Yes
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
- We had to cram six prevention topics into a day-long training. Although we touched on the important points for each topic, participants really wanted to discuss them in detail. In fact, after the training, several participants requested day-long training on each topic.
How did you overcome these challenges?
We will investigate future options for additional trainings.
What are your next steps?
- Participate with other organizations in the community to continue to provide additional education and information to community members.
If you’ve conducted Communities Talk activities in prior years, how has your repeated participation contributed to progress in achieving your prevention goals?
Yes, we held Communities Talk activities for several years. In 2021, we pivoted through the pandemic and hosted an online viewing of a movie titled “The First Day.” This movie told the story of Chris Herren, who was a professional basketball player, now author and wellness advocate, who went through recovery to address his substance use, harmful behaviors, and mental struggles. Prior to the pandemic, our organization hosted numerous Communities Talk Town Hall Meetings and other prevention activities. We are glad that we were able to train individuals this year to continue to address substance misuse and trauma in our community.
Organizations that conduct Communities Talk activities often involve other organizations in the planning and execution of events. Please indicate which type(s) of organizations you involved in your activity planning.
- Faith-based based organizations
- Charitable organizations
Which of the following best describes the primary audience(s) for your Communities Talk activity?
- Recovering people from the community.
How did you reach and engage your primary audience(s) to encourage them to participate in your activity?
Facebook posts, email announcements and flyers.
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
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