September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and National Recovery Month

These are two significant topics that we here at the Employee Assistance Program want to highlight.

Helping to increase awareness of mental health, suicide prevention, and addiction recovery are vital in being able to provide valuable support services for individuals seeking help.

Suicide Awareness:

Suicide can be a challenging topic to address in the workplace and in people’s daily lives. Some people report feeling that the topic of suicide is uncomfortable to talk about or that they become uncomfortable when peers are making suicidal statements. Even more tragically, often after a suicide has occurred, loved ones and friends acknowledge that they thought something was wrong or saw signs they were concerned about but did not know what to do or felt uncomfortable saying or doing anything. On average there are 121 suicides per day in the United States (source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). These are the reasons that it is crucial that open dialogues are happening regularly

Below is a list of organizations that contain helpful information and resources. Links provide signs to look for, tips on how best to support someone who could be at risk, as well as information on what to do in such a crisis. For more support or information feel free to contact us here at the EAP or to also explore these other resources.

National Recovery Month

We as a nation are in the midst of an opioid epidemic, but addiction and substance abuse of all kinds have impacted our community for generations. Dependency on a substance can stem from numerous sources. Addiction amplifies pre-existing mental and physical health conditions. Behaviors around addiction lead people to more dangerous and isolated lives.

Recovery is a lengthy process and a lifetime of challenges. It can take multiple tries to make progress or decide to embrace abstinence. Boston is a city full of resources that can help build a support network. The largest peer-run support systems are Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. There is a searchable AA meeting database. You can also find a meeting through the New England chapter of NA database. Another growing peer network based around national recovery that offers online and in-person meetings is SMARTRecovery. For those who need more support, it may be beneficial to seek out partial or intensive outpatient group programs offered by City and statewide agencies, such as Adcare.

Al-Anon is a support group for relatives and friends of those in recovery who share their experience, strength, and hope, in order to solve their common problems. To seek the state’s help in getting emergency placement in a detoxification program, there is a process of legally mandated treatment called section 35. Learn more about the process.

There is hope. Opioid deaths decreased by 8.3% this year. Recovery is possible. For further national recovery month resources, we encourage you to check out the following:

National Recovery Month