Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global fellowship that supports men and women struggling with alcohol addiction through a 12-step program and peer-led meetings. Similarly, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is an international organization that provides support and recovery for individuals suffering from drug addiction through a 12-step program and peer-led meetings. These are extremely effective peer support groups that help individuals recover from drugs and alcohol and maintain sober and drug free long term without relapse.
People with alcohol and drug addition often have lost their businesses, or jobs and family connections. Not only they have to deal with their addiction problems, they also have to struggle with food, housing and job search, to name a few. Their recovery journey is heavily dependent on how much support they can get from the community.
This summer, I volunteered at Recovery Road OC which was a dedicated Recovery Community Resource Center (RCC), providing food, free Naloxone and many other resources people in recovery need to thrive. This invaluable experience made me realize that addiction is a complex mental disease that can affect anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background or ethnicity and people with addiction are often affected by depression and anxiety. A very nice man who was a successful restaurant owner lost his business after turning to alcohol to cope with depression. The network of RCCs provides important resources to help people struggling with drugs and alcohol to get back on track in life.
None the less, I believe we should have a more wide spread, extremely accessible system working with RCCs and the community that consists of professional mental health providers and social workers that people with mental health issues can easily turn to privately so depression or drug addiction can be intervened at very early stage before serious consequences occur.
Inside the Mind 