{"id":59392,"date":"2026-09-01T08:13:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T12:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vayahealth.com\/?p=59392"},"modified":"2026-09-01T08:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T12:13:48","slug":"recovery-a-wellness-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vayahealth.com\/es\/news-and-stories\/recovery-a-wellness-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Recuperaci\u00f3n: Un viaje de bienestar"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Philip<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cRecovery is an active change in your thinking, behaviors, and ideas. It\u2019s an active <\/em>change. So, recovery is a journey. It\u2019s not a destination.\u201d
\u2014Philip Cooper<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

People who have substance use disorders<\/a> and some mental health conditions<\/a> sometimes choose a recovery path to support their well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seg\u00fan la Administraci\u00f3n de Servicios de Salud Mental y Abuso de Sustancias (SAMHSA)<\/a>, 50 million adults in the United States consider themselves to be in recovery from substance use and\/or mental health disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the right support, treatment, and services, along with positive relationships and community, people can improve their physical health, emotional wellness, and overall quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first step in recovery is reaching out for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want your life to change, you have to do something different,\u201d says Bryan Hatcher, LCSW, DrPH. He is the Chief Behavioral Health Innovations Officer at Blue Ridge Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you wake up every day and do what you\u2019ve always done, you know where that\u2019s going to lead,\u201d Hatcher says. \u201cSomething has to be different. Often that involves reaching out for help\u2014sometimes professional help, but at least the help of someone who can be a partner in the journey and support you in the tough times and in the good times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatcher says truly wanting change\u2014needing change\u2014is a difference maker that helps the recovery process not just begin but also become effective and lasting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Bryan<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen there\u2019s something in my life that I\u2019m passionate about\u2014if I need to change my life so I can be the parent that my kids need or the parent that I never had; so I can be a good partner for my partner or spouse; so I can manage a chronic physical health condition; so I can keep my job; or maybe so I can stay alive\u2014those kind of things often give a foundation for folks to really make changes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am always happy when a patient says, \u2018I am sick of this. I can\u2019t take it anymore.\u2019 Because when you\u2019re so sick of it that you\u2019re not going to take it anymore, that\u2019s the motivation to move forward with recovery and to stick with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to take a risk with recovery. You have to be vulnerable. And you should know that it\u2019s not going to be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeking help to begin recovery doesn\u2019t always happen in the most obvious places, Hatcher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost people don\u2019t call the mental health program or the substance use counselor,\u201d he says. \u201cMany people start with a friend\u2014maybe a friend who has had similar experiences. A primary care physician is often a first step. Religious professionals are oftentimes a source of support. Folks in school will find a teacher, a coach, or a student wellness or counseling program. Folks in the workforce might start with a peer they work with, a supervisor they trust, or an organization\u2019s employee wellness or health program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not one best or preferred way. It\u2019s just a matter of taking that first step and inviting someone you trust into this process with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Samantha<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Samantha Bradley is the Western Region Director for Comunidad Sunrise para la recuperaci\u00f3n y el bienestar<\/a>. She is a Peer Support Specialist, and she serves on Vaya\u2019s Health Equity Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like to call my own recovery my wellness journey,\u201d says Bradley, who is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. \u201cI believe we\u2019re all on a wellness journey. The word \u2018journey\u2019 lets you know there\u2019s no end\u2014there\u2019s a continuum of wellness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I share who I am and what I have experienced, I\u2019ll say I\u2019m a person who is on a wellness journey from substances and mental health struggles. I have anxiety, and anxiety can be debilitating. It is a part of who I am, even as we try to stay away from identifying folks with their disorders.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Bradley, recovery\u2014choosing it and then continuing on the journey\u2014has been about discovering herself as much as \u201crecovering\u201d herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, choosing recovery was finally doing something for myself,\u201d she says. \u201cFor a long time, my recovery attempts were for other people\u2014for family, for mom, for the people who really believed in me. But when I actually dove into my wellness journey, my recovery journey, I wanted to become a better person and a better community member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery was about finding out who I actually was. With substances, there\u2019s a lot of numbing going on. My wellness journey and recovery journey have been about finding my identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I think the first step is stepping into your own self and starting to love who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rev. Philip Cooper is the Chief Change Agent and Executive Director for Operaci\u00f3n Pasarela<\/a>, an organization \u201ccommitted to leveraging lived experience to transform lives and reduce the stigma surrounding recovery and reentry.\u201d Cooper is a Qualified Professional and Certified Peer Support Specialist in North Carolina. He was recognized as the 2024 Innovator of the Year by SAMHSA, and he received the 2024 Recovery Role Model Award from the Addiction Professionals of North Carolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery happens when we choose life over death, we choose light instead of darkness, and we choose healing over hurt,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cWhen the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change, that\u2019s when people change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery is the act of changing our thinking, behaviors, and ideas, and our quality of life should be impacted positively by our recovery. For me, I\u2019ve been sober almost 18 years. I got sober on January 16, 2009, and I\u2019ve been sober since. Being someone who now gives back, you get relationships with people, too, because that\u2019s the way we maintain our recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery is about more than the drugs. Recovery is an inside job. It\u2019s doing the inside work. It\u2019s all about taking care of the spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery looks like service. Recovery looks like gratitude. And service is gratitude in action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Seeking Help and Discovering What Works for You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bradley says the help you need depends on what you want when you reach out for support.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs a peer, I think the first steps are really identifying what your goals are and then getting connected to support and appropriate treatment with the different options, whether outpatient or residential treatment, depending on what you need and what you feel ready for,\u201d Bradley says. \u201cHave the courage to reach out for support and to be honest and transparent. Sometimes you have to try different options. Don\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bradley\u2019s personal experience included trying different supports and treatments until she found a combination that worked well for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I started going on my wellness journey, I was trying to figure out how I fit in, not feeling like certain meetings or fellowships were what was going to work for me,\u201d she says. \u201cAt that time, 90 meetings in 90 days was a popular solution, and I couldn\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Samantha<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEventually I realized that I didn\u2019t have to pick just one option. I started building my own wellness pathways, trying different things. What\u2019s really cool is that even the things I don\u2019t do now, I learned from. I utilize some of those things in my wellness toolbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am still on MOUD (medication for opioid-use disorder). For me, it\u2019s not just about taking the medicine. It\u2019s about showing up on time. It\u2019s about not using my medicine incorrectly. It\u2019s about passing my drug screens. I also do CrossFit. Exercise may not be for everyone, but that\u2019s part of what\u2019s worked for me. And CrossFit has helped create a whole different community that\u2019s not related to work, where I get to talk about different things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, what I encourage people to do is find out what works for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expansion of peer supports in the care system has helped humanize the way some people see recovery services, making them more accessible and understandable. Peers offer information, connection, and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer supports are valuable because they\u2019re about lived experience,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cPeers are knowledgeable about what resources are available, and lived experience can expedite the trust level for the person who is meeting with us. Now they\u2019re not going to hold anything back, because they know the peer support has been in their shoes. That builds confidence. Someone else knows how I roll. This person\u2019s been vetted. They\u2019re not playing any games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith peer supports, we help reduce fear about being stigmatized, because when people see peer supports who are now thriving in recovery, people start to see that it\u2019s possible. It gives them hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatcher agrees that the availability of peer supports has strengthened the entire recovery and wellness system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer support specialists can be an integral part of recovery for individuals who seek services,\u201d Hatcher says. \u201cWe have better outcomes when a peer support specialist is involved in people\u2019s care. Peers are professionally certified after receiving significant training from the state, and they have to work to maintain that certification. But their main qualification for the job is lived experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have directly dealt with addiction or a chronic mental health condition. They have been through all that and are often doing well in life, but they also understand the fluidity of that process. Just because I say I\u2019m done with that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m actually done with that. Two or three years later there could be something that takes me right back. Peers understand those struggles existentially more than any of us can academically or intellectually.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Life in Recovery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Cooper, recovery is daily work, and it is filled with gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery day I get up, I practice recovery principles,\u201d he says. \u201cI still go to recovery meetings, even though I feel like I\u2019m over the drugs. I haven\u2019t wanted to get high in a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Philip<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cRecovery taught me that service is important to my spiritual condition. And my blessings from recovery? My relationship with God is a blessing. I\u2019m a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a wife. I have children who respect me. I have a community that trusts me and leans on me. I pay my bills. I\u2019m a homeowner. I shake hands with public officials. I have the respect of law enforcement and of gang bangers. I haven\u2019t been locked up in a long time. I haven\u2019t been in jail except when I go to talk and preach or tell my testimony.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are all the blessings of recovery. I have a life, and my life is good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recovery presents challenges, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hardest part of recovery is losing people,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cI\u2019ve seen people come and go. Being someone who now gives back, you get relationships with people, because that\u2019s the way we maintain our recovery. But some of those people don\u2019t continue to do what they\u2019re supposed to do for their recovery. They start thinking they can go and test the waters again, just do a little bit or try to control it. Usually, the next thing you hear is somebody\u2019s dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople die, and that\u2019s the hardest part of recovery\u2014seeing people die. I\u2019m not just talking about just when their pulse stops, either. I\u2019m talking about whenever you see people starting to crash out. You watch them start making poor decisions. That hurts. That\u2019s one of the hard parts about recovery to me, because I want to see everybody win. Death can be physical, but it also can be mental or spiritual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper says it\u2019s important for people to tend to their internal well-being as part of their recovery and wellness journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo matter what a person\u2019s religion is, they have to take care of their insides,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can tell a person who takes care of their insides from a person who doesn\u2019t by how they treat people\u2014the fruit, right? If you don\u2019t have the fruits of recovery, that\u2019s because you\u2019re not working on your recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery looks like making the right choices on purpose with purpose. But recovery is active. It\u2019s never over. It\u2019s never over because the reasons that I turned to drugs as a solution in my life are deep within me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor some people, recovery is going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. For some people, it\u2019s having a service commitment, where you go and give back to your community. You go and set up recovery meetings and facilitate recovery meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper also says it\u2019s important to have a strong community as part of your recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor people just now choosing recovery, what I want to tell them is find your tribe,\u201d he says. \u201cFind your tribe because you can\u2019t do it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatcher agrees. \u201cFor many people, having social support for recovery doesn\u2019t mean just one person,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a community that is gathered around them, consisting of family, friends, and a larger social professional circle that helps people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery is a lifelong process that is fluid in nature. It\u2019s not a linear process, and it involves making healthy choices every day to keep moving in the direction that a person would like to move in\u2014preferably for healthier living situations. Many times, this is related to addiction or substance use issues, but not always. I think all of us are probably in recovery from something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecovery is probably going to involve letting go of some relationships, too. Sometimes the relationships we have can be part of what holds us in unhealthy patterns, either intentionally or unintentionally, and there are times when the only way to move past that is to exit a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What recovery means in terms of support and treatment depends on the person and what they\u2019re ready for, Hatcher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have many people who come to us and get MAT (medication-assisted treatment), and that\u2019s great,\u201d he says. \u201cSome people come and get what I would call traditional psychotherapy, and that\u2019s fine, too. And, again, I am confident that those people who have peer support specialists in their lives are probably in a more stable place\u2014more consistently and for longer periods of time\u2014than those who don\u2019t have peer support specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an oversimplification and there\u2019s overlap, of course, but in the behavioral health world people find themselves in two buckets. One bucket is organic chemistry\u2014schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, all sorts of depressions, for example. The other bucket is more life-induced by an event or a series of events, by the social determinants of health, by ACEs\u2014adverse childhood experiences. From the life-events bucket, the recovery pattern is more often like someone struggling with an addiction, where you work through how you understand things and respond to them and just get to a healthier place, hopefully with trauma-informed care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatcher says the pathways for recovery are similar whatever the origin of someone\u2019s challenges. Recovery involves making the choice to live a healthier life, seeking help, and being committed to ongoing wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the people with a more organic chemical scenario\u2014people whose chemistry is different\u2014it\u2019s sometimes a little harder to understand, but recovery is still the same process for everyone,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is the process, first of all, of accepting: This is who I am as a person. Given who I am as a person, here are some things I need to be doing in order to hold the foundation of life that\u2019s important to me and those around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s medication. Sometimes it\u2019s avoiding certain stimuli, which can be anything in the world. Sometimes it\u2019s working out every day, mindfulness\u2014whatever it is for a person. But it starts with that key component of: This is who I am as a human being. Not that I am schizophrenic, but I am a person and schizophrenia is part of my makeup, which is not unlike saying I am a person and I have diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s hypertension\u2014I am a person, and I have high blood pressure. Like it or not, that is my truth. If I take my meds, walk daily, and pay attention to what I eat, life is much better. Maybe I hate doing those things, and when I start feeling better, I quit doing them. If I have a bad back, the same thing\u2014when I start doing my exercises, I feel better. When I feel better, I quit, and two months later, my back is out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same process for everyone. It\u2019s really about acceptance. I think that folks have to understand recovery as a process and not as an event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That process includes, again, both challenges and blessings, Hatcher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are hurdles that we have to step over, and once you step over the hurdle you see the next 10 hurdles that you have to manage somehow,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you get through them, you see the next 10 hurdles, you know? Recovery is like doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that some of the unexpected gifts\u2014the joys\u2014of recovery come through the relationships that you develop. It may be with people you hadn\u2019t known previously, and it may be with some of the same people you knew, but now because you are engaged differently in life you can experience both yourself and others differently. You might learn things about people that you never knew\u2014about their own struggles, but also about their hopes and dreams. To me, those relationships are really the gift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Bradley, working to support people in wellness and recovery is a big part of her own wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy job is a part of my journey,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat I do helps me wake up in the morning, knowing that my work can help someone. My family has been part of my journey, of course. I\u2019ve rebuilt relationships with them. Being a mother, being a Cherokee woman\u2014all those parts of finding my identity and my culture developed over my 10 years in recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been about finding my missing pieces and filling those voids.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Overcoming Stigma and Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a marginalized Cherokee woman in a rural area,\u201d Bradley says. \u201cWhen it comes to mental health and substance use, the wellness journey is much more difficult. My identity challenges getting services. It challenges building programs. It challenges funding. It challenges growing outside of my own community. My community accepts me, so a lot of times I just want to stay in my community, because that\u2019s where I feel safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, I hear about what my ancestors went through\u2014the Trail of Tears and much more\u2014and I\u2019ll never experience the depth of that, but we have generational trauma. We have so much working against us already that when the things happening now in the world start working against us, it just feels like kicking us when we\u2019re down. It feels personal. It makes things more difficult\u2014twice as hard. I grew up thinking we were way further away from racism, and now I\u2019m realizing we\u2019re not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut once I found my identity\u2014once I found out who I was as a woman and as a Cherokee woman\u2014and I developed what I stood for and what my morals and values were and are, it changed me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinding your identity\u2014who you are, what you believe in, and who your people are\u2014can be a big piece of your journey. The things you do that support your identity don\u2019t have to stay the same over the years. They can evolve and shift as you do, as you build your own wellness pathway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People living in rural areas often experience greater stigmatization, Bradley says, and also have greater difficulty accessing services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a lot of stigma in more rural areas, where people sometimes call people awful names, which also happens online, like in Facebook groups,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve sat with parents whose children were in addiction and recovery, and the parents have used the most awful language about their kids. People on this journey can really be hurt, even by loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, stigma may always be something people face. But when we look at the person we\u2019re supporting as a human first, we can move away from stigmatizing words and thoughts and respect their preferences\u2014including in words and language\u2014that help support them best. We all get so much further with that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language can be positive, accepting, encouraging, and inclusive, she says. And it can also cause harm.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t use words like \u2018clean,\u2019 \u2018dirty,\u2019 or even \u2018relapsed\u2019\u2014I stick to calling people by their names,\u201d Bradley says. \u201cWe\u2019ve evolved in our language in so many ways. Instead of \u2018relapsed,\u2019 I like to say \u2018going back to symptoms,\u2019 because it doesn\u2019t identify someone and call them out. For me personally, dealing with substances and mental health, if people hear \u2018relapsed\u2019 they automatically assume I\u2019m using again. However, \u2018back to symptoms\u2019 could just be that I\u2019m feeling really down or I\u2019ve got overwhelming anxiety, and I just need to take a week off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso, I prefer saying \u2018wellness journey\u2019\u2014that\u2019s what I experience and identify with\u2014rather than \u2018recovery.\u2019 With recovery, well, I don\u2019t know that people with substance use issues ever totally recover. Again, it\u2019s a continuum, and it\u2019s good to look at it that way, because if people do go back to symptoms, they don\u2019t have to be shamed as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used to have to pick up a white chip, which in NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is a start-over. To me, that felt like embarrassment and shame. But \u2018back to symptoms\u2019 means it\u2019s just part of the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned through my personal and professional experience is that the most important thing is treating everyone like a human. Too often we put people who are on their journeys, including around mental health, into boxes. Don\u2019t identify people by their struggles. Let\u2019s check our own biases and really understand what our biases are. Then we can support people better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bradley also asks that professionals not impose their own biases on people\u2019s goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, if I\u2019m supporting someone who\u2019s at that point in their wellness journey, I\u2019m trying to find out what they\u2019re trying to accomplish,\u201d she says. \u201cFor many folks, abstinence might be the goal, but we just try to reach people where they\u2019re at. So, each approach can look different. For example, you might be doing multiple different substances, and you just want to stop using intravenously for harm reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used opioids. I tried to get sober on my journey for more than 10 years, and at that time MOUD was very stigmatized. In all those years I wasn\u2019t offered one of the most effective treatments in getting sober. Now, I tell my staff that if someone comes in with opioid use\u2014say heroin or fentanyl, which we\u2019re seeing more now, while back in the day it was more things like Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen tablets)\u2014to at least offer them MOUD treatment, if they\u2019re interested.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, it was the last option given to me, and I wonder if I could have saved a lot of hard times if I had tried it first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatcher says we address stigma best by being honest and forthright about recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe address stigma by telling our stories without holding back,\u201d he says. \u201cI believe that when we tell the stories without reservation, people will resonate with it and get it. We must live deeper in the truth and tell our stories boldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard someone say that if you have a chronic mental illness\u2014say, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder\u2014and your family has enough resources, you\u2019re not diagnosed with a psychiatric condition. You\u2019re considered eccentric. There\u2019s some real truth to that. People hide it, and that becomes part of managing the stigma. We don\u2019t want to name what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can take any issue that our culture might have stigma about\u2014be it addiction, sexual orientation, a chronic mental health condition, whatever it is\u2014and I can promise you those same scenarios live in every family in every community. Especially when it involves those areas where stigma exists, we need to tell our truth and demonstrate how we live fully. That makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatcher also says we need to be mindful about cultural differences\u2014respecting them and learning from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have spent most of my adult life in North Carolina, but I actually was recruited and went to Washington and worked at a large FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) there that sits on the Yakama Indian Reservation,\u201d Hatcher says. \u201cThe Yakama Nation is made up of several different tribes. They had their own health service program, and the organizations had a good relationship. We could walk across the street to each other\u2019s main offices. I learned a ton in that experience about cultures and subcultures. At least with the Yakama Nation, there\u2019s very much a culture of caring for your own: we will do it, we know how to do it, we\u2019ve been doing it for centuries, and we do it well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had to learn how to build enough trust so that in those moments when they needed our help\u2014traditional medical care or whatever that looked like at the time\u2014they would reach out, and vice versa. There were times when we were so stumped we didn\u2019t know what to do, and they usually had answers based in their traditional wisdom that took us well beyond what The New England Journal of Medicine<\/em> would ever tell us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really was a beautiful dance. Respecting cultural norms that are different from our own usually will enlighten those of us who think we have the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper does a lot of work with people in prisons, including supporting community reentry. According to the Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, nearly 8 out of 10 people entering the prison system in North Carolina have a substance use disorder.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe best practice for reentry is starting the services while a person is still incarcerated, within six months of their release, which includes access to the person, access to the case manager, and collaboration on the reentry plans,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cBut you can\u2019t do that when a prison is short-staffed\u2014when staff is overwhelmed and barely getting by. And as a society we\u2019re just not having enough investments in programs that do reentry services, including housing and employment programs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming stigma about recovery in all parts of society involves promoting education, training, and relationships, Cooper says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we want to impact stigma, and stop it from making people avoid recovery, it starts with building genuine relationships,\u201d he says. \u201cThen, within those relationships come the education and training. People have to trust you and believe in what you bring to the table. That\u2019s how we kill stigma\u2014with education and with testimonials, success stories, recovery coach training, and mental health first aid training. All of that comes through education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to have resources and information readily available in places where they usually wouldn\u2019t be\u2014on bulletin boards, in organizational or group announcements, in churches\u2014to help people be more recovery ready and more recovery friendly. Have the number for Vaya Health, have information about 988, have the SAMHSA website FindTreatment.gov<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming stigma also involves being clearer about what recovery is, Cooper says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMisconceptions and stigma can come from people misrepresenting recovery,\u201d he says. \u201cI believe that harm reduction is needed and important. People need to be alive, because you can\u2019t get into recovery if you\u2019re dead. But we need to educate people about what the differences are, and we need to be clear that recovery doesn\u2019t look like getting high or getting drunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are levels of harm reduction that can be considered recovery, like if somebody\u2019s taking medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. Now let\u2019s couple that with therapy, support groups, exercise or yoga, and religion\u2014a combination of things. We need to educate people about what recovery is and what the pathways of recovery are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous aren\u2019t the only pathways. But someone may have had an unpleasant or negative experience trying something, so now they think recovery is ineffective. There\u2019s more than one pathway to recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one day at a time. We need to try what works to get to the solution for someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person wants support to make a change and start on the recovery path, Cooper says, our healthcare system needs to be ready to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen someone is ready for help, we have a small window of time,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s usually only a small window of time that we have to help them\u2014so people need access to care and recovery resources whenever they\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Recursos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Please refer to your Member or Recipient Handbook or call Vaya Health\u2019s Member and Recipient Service Line at 1-800-962-9003<\/a> to learn what outpatient, inpatient, crisis and residential services may be available to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call 1-855-PEERS-NC (1-855-733-7762<\/a>) to reach the Peer Warmline de Carolina del Norte<\/a> and connect with a Peer Support Specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are experiencing a substance use or mental health emergency, call Vaya Health\u2019s Behavioral Health Crisis Line at 1-800-849-6127<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also call or text 988 to reach the 988 L\u00ednea de ayuda en caso de suicidio y crisis<\/a> (for Spanish, press #2 or text AYUDA to 988).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some other resources for help or information about recovery include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n