A Message of Hope

As the holiday cookies and candies overflowing our office spaces dwindle, and the New Year gratitude groups are complete, we move into 2022 with new resolutions and commitments fresh in our minds. With COVID-19 surges and the ongoing consequences of isolation and fear related to this pandemic remain, we hold the continued need for vigilance in keeping each other and our patients healthy and protected with the hope and joy we witness in the miracles of those who have recovered.

Renewed life is blossoming around us every day.

We who work with individuals and families struggling with substance use and mental health conditions have mastered holding multiple realities. In the past two years, Capt. Michael King, Ph.D., MSW, of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), reported that 40 million Americans were living with substance use conditions, which doubled from 2019’s statistic.

Dr. John F. Kelly is a professor of psychiatry in addiction medicine at Harvard Medical School and the founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute (RRI) at Massachusetts General Hospital. He reports that in addition to the 40 million Americans classified with a substance use condition, 66 million Americans could be identified as using alcohol and other drugs in “hazardous and harmful ways.”

Dr. Kelly and Dr. David Eddie, an RRI research scientist, reported on January 13, 2022, during an interview with Brian Mann from NPR’s Morning Edition, that in their recent peer review study, they found that 75%, or three out of four individuals, with substance use disorders, get better — even individuals using “hard substances” such as opioids and cocaine. They stated that 20 million Americans are “living in recovery” and that “recovery is the norm where, absolutely, people get better.”

Dr. Kelly and many experts in addiction medicine report that recovery capital, access to quality treatment, and enough time decrease people’s psychological distress and increase overall happiness and quality of life.

Dr. Eddie states, “They tend to get happier! They’ve been to hell and back, and in fact, go above and beyond to achieve more than they would have had they never been through the hell of addiction. There is hope, and most people will recover, specifically if they get the care and support and time they need.”

So, as we move forward this year, let us all remember to continue to provide quality care, reduce obstacles that get in the way of people’s abilities to thrive in their environments, and be messengers of hope that we do recover and live happier and extraordinary lives.

Let us remember that the factors that contribute to an individual’s recovery success (personal, family/social, community recovery support, and cultural connection) can often be applied to new struggles such as the fear, isolation, and fatigue we may be experiencing our lives today.

Let’s keep connecting with the people we love and help others access the power of hope.