SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020 | 37
Health
Recovery Month:
Be Sure to Connect
S
eptember marks the start
of National Recovery
Month, an international
observance held each year to
honor and celebrate the mil-
lions of people
in recovery from
mental health
and substance
use issues. It
serves as a crit-
ical reminder
that behavioral
health is essen-
tial to overall health.
This year’
s theme is “Join
the Voices for Recovery:
Celebrating Connections”
and it could not be timelier
as we are several months into
the COVID-19 situation and
many of us are struggling to
make or maintain connections
that had once been so easy.
Since mid-March, I and
the rest of the staff at Jewish
Family Service have been
working hard to maintain
connections, not only with our
clients and each other, but also
with our family and friends.
My primary work is with
people who have addictions,
usually to alcohol or drugs,
but also to non-chemical
behaviors such as disordered
eating, exercise or gambling.
Many people I work with
have been doing fairly well
with their recovery programs
in that they’
ve maintained
sobriety, are engaged in pro-
ductive, meaningful activities
and have made (sometimes
even repaired) connections
with others. These people have
been able to roll with the ear-
lier restrictions placed on us
by COVID-19 by participating
in online or phone-in 12-step
fellowship groups.
Yet, I know of others who
went into shelter-in-place
mode believing that they could
manage on their own and
didn’
t need those connections
instrumental to recovery.
Research has shown a pos-
itive link between satisfaction
with life and feeling connected
to other people. These connec-
tions can be a simple “hi” to
a neighbor out for your daily
walks, a phone call, or a Zoom
conference with co-workers.
People often fear reaching
out to others. They fear rejec-
tion or worry that their friends
are too busy. But it’
s clear that
we are social animals. We
crave interaction with others,
with feeling supported, val-
ued and, for those struggling
with addiction and/or mental
health issues, such interaction
is critical to recovery.
No one, even you, needs to
suffer alone. Celebrate connec-
tions by making new ones.
Maureen Lyn Bernard, LMSW,
ACSW, CADC is a Clinical Therapist
and Continuing Education and
Enrichment Specialist at JFS.
Maureen Lyn
Bernard
IF YOU’
RE LOOKING TO STAY CONNECTED during this challeng-
ing time of COVID, join Jewish Family Service’
s community-wide
support group Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Register at jfsdetroit.org/sup-
portgroups. For information on other ways JFS can support you or
a loved one, contact (248) 592-2313 or resourcecenter@jfsdetroit.
org. For a listing of local AA meetings, visit aa-semi.org.
May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness and pr
osperity
for
all our Family and Friends.
Happy New Year
DeVinney Czarnecki Physical Therapy
6020 W. Maple, Suite 500, W. Bloomfi
eld
248-851-6999
www.dcptonline.com
DANIEL SHERBERT, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Certifi
ed by The American Board of Surgery,
The American Board of Plastic Surgery & Fellowship
Trained in Aesthetic & Reconstructive Breast Surgery
Specializing in Cosmetic Surgery &
Aesthetic & Reconstructive Breast Surgery
W est Maple
Plastic Surgery
(248) 865-6400
5807 W. Maple Suite 177 West Bloomfi
eld
Awaken the
Beauty Within...