National Addiction Awareness Day (NAAW) November 16-22, 2025

Addiction is not a sign of weakness, a character flaw, or a moral failing. It is a common illness affecting millions of people of all ages, backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels. And while there is no single cause of addiction, there is hope for recovery for everyone. 

Hope is a unique positive emotion in that it requires a certain degree of adversity to exist. If there is nothing to face, overcome, or endure, hope is useless. Given the difficult experiences and emotions that addictive behaviors can generate, hope can be especially beneficial to people in recovery.

Here are some ways in which hope can strengthen the recovery process. Hope:

• Inspires resilience: Maintaining the belief that, even in difficult times, a substance-free life is worth living can help a person persevere in their recovery. It is by being determined to build a better future that one finds the courage to continue.
• Spread: Like other positive emotions, hope is contagious. Surrounded by optimistic people, we tend to adopt a feeling of hope ourselves.
• This helps us stay grounded: optimistic people tend to remain anchored in the present, focus on what is happening around them, and avoid dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Staying in the present and feeling gratitude for what we have can protect us from anxiety.
• The SMART acronym helps us define goals and maintain our momentum: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Using it shows us that progress is possible. By seeing the results of our work, we gain more confidence and hope to achieve new goals.

It's not always easy to stay hopeful. Everyone experiences low spirits. This is especially true for people with co-occurring disorders. But by keeping these tips in mind and striving to maintain a positive mindset, the challenges of addiction recovery—and life in general—become much easier to manage.

Did you know....

• People with addictions often feel isolated.

• Addiction can happen at any stage of life.

• Addiction affects more than the individual.

• Dependence makes the "drug" feel normal.

•  Rock bottom isn’t necessary.

Healthy Eats!

Loaded Broccoli and chicken soup

Ingredients 

2 medium green onions 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion

 1.5 pounds of small new yellow potatoes, scrubbed and quartered (about 4 cups) 

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour 

1 and a half teaspoons of garlic powder 

1 and a half teaspoons of onion powder 

6 cups of unsalted chicken broth 

2 large heads of broccoli, cut into pieces (about 5 cups) 

2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken 

225g of reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed and softened; 125ml of double cream; 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Instructions 

Step 1: Trim the green onions and separate the light green parts from the dark green parts. Finely slice the light green and white parts and set them aside. Finely slice the dark green parts and set them aside separately for garnish. 

Step 2: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of onion and the chopped white and light green onions: cook, stirring often, until tender, about 2 minutes. 

Step 3: Add the quartered potatoes, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder and onion powder; mix well. Increase the heat to high; stir in 6 cups of broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium; simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. 

Step 4: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the broccoli, cover, and cook until tender and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken, the softened and diced cream cheese, 1/2 cup of cream, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cream cheese is melted and the chicken is heated through, about 4 minutes. 

Step 5 Divide the soup into 6 bowls. Top with 125 ml of cheddar cheese, 125 ml of sour cream, 60 ml of bacon and the reserved green onion.

What's on in November

_HP-November-2025-Newsletter.pdf