September is National Recovery Month, a time to celebrate the courage of individuals in recovery, the families who walk beside them, and the providers who make recovery possible. This year’s theme from SAMHSA, “Recovery is REAL: Restoring Every Aspect of Life,” captures the heart of what recovery means. At the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, we hold recovery for all as our vision statement. Recovery is not only about one person’s sobriety. It is about restoring health, restoring families, restoring community, and restoring purpose. Our role is to support treatment providers who do this work every day, ensuring they have the tools, standards, and advocacy needed to make recovery possible.
As the Membership Director at NAATP, and as a family member in recovery, this theme speaks deeply to me. Some of my family members were able to access the care and support necessary to heal. Others, however, could not, as stigma, scarce resources, and limited access created barriers that were simply too great to overcome. These realities continue to impact families today, especially in underserved, rural, and underrepresented communities. Recovery requires compassion, access, advocacy, and a community that believes in the power of healing.
At NAATP, we are proud to represent treatment providers who embody the values of ethical, evidence-based, family-centered care. Our members face real challenges. Medicaid reimbursement rates leave some providers unable to participate, while others rely on commercial insurance that rarely reflect the full cost of care or self-pay arrangements that may not be accessible for many. Yet despite these barriers, NAATP members remain resilient. They continue to place patients and families first, upholding standards of accountability and compassion even when financial structures work against them.
They uphold our Ethics Code, ensuring integrity in marketing and transparency in operations. They contribute to outcomes research through FoRSE (The NAATP Foundation for Recovery Science and Education), which measures real-world recovery results.
This is what sets NAATP members apart. They do the hard work with integrity, lead with compassion, and show that ethical care and recovery go hand in hand.
Over the past decade, NAATP has reaffirmed its role as a leader in ethical, evidence-based care. When our field faced an ethics crisis, NAATP responded by creating a code of ethics, removing noncompliant members, and setting new standards. That work continues today as we equip members with tools like the Ethics in Marketing guideline that promotes transparent and trustworthy communication. To learn more about our ethics in marketing you can join Our Ethics Program Overview Webinar and access our Addressing Problematic Ads Quick Reference Guide.
Through our FoRSE Outcomes Program, we are building a culture of accountability rooted in outcomes. These data points are not box-checking exercises. They demonstrate that treatment works. The treatment outcomes program through FoRSE also strengthen our advocacy, giving us credibility with policymakers, payors, and the public. Together, ethics and outcomes build trust, and trust expands access. To learn more about our FoRSE Outcomes Program join our Examining SUD Treatment Outcomes Webinar and our M2M Meeting about Outcomes in Practice.
A Call to Action
As we celebrate Recovery Month, I invite you to:
- Explore the Addiction Industry Directory (AID) to connect with ethical providers.
- Join our advocacy efforts at the federal level and use the State Advocacy Toolkit to take action locally.
- Be part of a trusted network of providers committed to making recovery possible. Learn more about membership.
- Join SAMHSA’s Recovery Month efforts by sharing stories of hope, promoting awareness, and standing together in the message that recovery is real.
This Recovery Month, guided by SAMHSA’s theme of “Recovery is REAL: Restoring Every Aspect of Life,” we stand united with our members, our partners, and families everywhere. Together, we heal. Together, we recover.
