Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, as well as Native American Wellbriety Month will take place this September.

September, 2001 is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

White Bison, Inc, an American Indian non-profit organization, and the Center For Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), are working together so that Native Americans in 19 cities across the country can participate as a community in the CSAT-sponsored events to take place across the country this September.

White Bison encourages Native Americans who support sobriety and recovery from chemical dependencies to come forward and lend their voice and visibility as a cultural community to CSAT's Recovery Month 2001. The Recovery Month theme, We Recover Together--Family, Friends and Community, is a goal Native people can share.

By contacting your local Native American Event Coordinator in each of the 19 cities, we, as Native people, can add our voices and excitement to the treatment and recovery celebration. Both CSAT and White Bison urge those who are in recovery from substance abuse, as well as their family, friends and allies, to become visible as advocates for recovery. We urge those who are walking the Red Road to sobriety to come forward with this inspiration: In Recovery And Proud!

Here is the list of cities where CSAT sponsored events will take place:

Detroit, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio, Madison, Wisconsin, St. Louis, Missouri, Phoenix, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, Portland, Oregon, Hartford, Connecticut, New Orleans, Louisiana, New York, New York, Jacksonville, Florida, Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, DC, Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Atlanta, Georgia, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Illinois

CSAT is part of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA and CSAT continue to reach out to organizations serving Racial, Ethnic and Cultural Groups, as well as older Americans, adolescents and youth, and the disabled community in this 12th annual September affirmation of treatment and recovery from chemical dependency.

Treatment works! Join with other Native Americans in support of Recovery Month, September 2001 in one of the 19 cities.

Contact Beverly Elmore toll-free at White Bison, 1-877-871-1495, or 719-548-1000 to learn how you may get in touch with your local Native American Event Coordinator for Recovery Month 2001. Or visit White Bison's website: http://www.whitebison.org and communicate by e-mail: info@whitebision.org for more information.

If you do not live near one of the 19 CSAT Recovery Month Cities, you can still come forward for wellness and sobriety in your home community or neighborhood. White Bison, Inc, and CSAT are sponsoring Native American Wellbriety Month, September, 2001. Native American Wellbriety Month is a grassroots celebration of freedom from chemical dependency and family violence, especially for Native Americans. To learn how your community can create Wellbriety Month events where you live, contact White Bison or visit the Website.

The White Bison STRENGTHENING OUR FAMILIES conference will take place in Rapid City, South Dakota from Thursday through Sunday, September 20-23, 2001. The Conference will be held at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center, phone: 605-343-8550. Join us for a four-day gathering dedicated to healing our families.

• Learn strategies for restoring family systems
• Develop skills for conducting family talking circles
• Discover how to apply traditional Native American cultural healing to family systems
• Explore culturally appropriate methods to provide mental health and prevention services
• Listen to Keynote Speakers and Elders as they discuss topics of vital interest to your family

The White Bison Strengthening our Families conference continues White Bison's Spirit of Assistance to the Native American community and its friends and allies. Following the Journey of the Sacred Hoop 1999, which took the message of sobriety, recovery and Wellbriety to the 31 Tribal Colleges, and then Hoop Journey 2000 from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, White Bison now offers a traditional learning gathering especially for American Indian and Alaska Native families and those who work with Native families.

Planned speakers include:

• Don Coyhis, Founder and President of White Bison.
• Karen Artichoker, Russ Cournoyer, and Marlin Mousseau of Cangleska, Inc.
• Brenda Hill of Sacred Circle
• Susan Doctor, PhD, University of Oklahoma
• Deb Painte of the Sacred Child Project
• Members of the Casey Foundation
• Karol Kumpfer, Ph.D. of the Strengthening the Family Program
• Susan Doctor, Ph.D. on Preventing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Rev. Daniel P. Newman on HIV/AIDS and Native Americans

And others known for their healing work in Indian Country. The Speaker List is still growing. See the Conference Brochure for up-to-date information.

The Conference is FREE, but register soon because space is limited. Register online visit, http://www.whitebison.org or call White Bison toll-free 1-877-871-1495.

For all our families--See you in Rapid City!