On Sept. 17, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery held its third annual Rally for Recovery at the Wisconsin Capitol. As part of September’s National Recovery Month, the rally aimed to raise awareness of substance abuse disorders and honor those in recovery. It featured resource booths, a DJ, kids’ activities, and speakers, including Wisconsin Rep. John Nygren, whose daughter has struggled with heroin addiction.
Wisconsin Voices for Recovery is a project of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies and Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It brings together people who are in recovery or seeking recovery, along with their family members and allies. As WISC-TV noted in its report, the group hopes to bring substance abuse out of the shadows.
“I’m a person in recovery myself,” said Caroline Miller, who helped organize the rally for Continuing Studies. “To see so many people out in the open, out in the light, in the sunshine today celebrating is amazing.”
‘Recovery from addiction is possible’
The Rally for Recovery presented Rep. Nygren with an award for his advocacy on behalf of substance abuse issues.
“The more we talk about it, the more attention it gets,” he told WISC.
In the midst of Wisconsin’s epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction, the Department of Health Services was on hand to educate the public about available services.
“Recovery from addiction is possible,” said AJ Ernst, section chief of substance abuse services with the state Bureau of Prevention, Treatment and Recovery. “Management of the disease is possible.”
For more information about Wisconsin Voices for Recovery, contact Flo Hilliard, 608-265-2679, florence.hilliard@wisc.edu.