Governor Stein Proclaims Recovery Month

Recovery Month

2025

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, September is National Recovery Month, a national observance held annually to promote new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, support the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and applaud the dedication of service providers and community partners who make recovery in all its forms possible; and

Whereas, Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease; and

Whereas, this observance reinforces the positive messages that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover; and

Whereas, there are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery; and since these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population, Recovery Month provides a vehicle for everyone to celebrate these accomplishments; and

Whereas, the term “substance use disorder,” commonly known as addiction, refers to a disease of the brain, and many misconceptions surrounding the term have contributed to harmful stigmas that can prevent people from seeking the treatment they need; and

Whereas, in North Carolina, 7 percent of adolescents ages 13-17, 23 percent of adults ages 18-25, and 14 percent of adults ages 25 and older have a substance use disorder; and North Carolina has experienced a 27 percent decrease in suspected overdose deaths from 2023 to 2024; and

Whereas, by treating substance use disorders as seriously as other medical conditions, with an emphasis on prevention and treatment, people can recover; and

WHEREAS, the Recovery Month observance continues to work to improve the lives of those affected by substance use disorders by raising awareness of this disease and educating communities about the prevention, treatment, and recovery resources that are available;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 2025 as “Recovery Month” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all citizens.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-first day of August in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-fifth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.