Young People in Recovery (YPR), a national, peer-led nonprofit that serves youth and young adults in recovery from substance use disorder and addiction, today announced the launch of "Turning Pain to Purpose," a national campaign to support young people and families impacted by addiction. The campaign will run from Mother's Day through Father's Day, 2023. YPR is a national recovery support service organization with 54 chapters in 19 states focused on peer-to-peer services for young people seeking recovery. YPR programs are 100% free to participants.
Turning Pain to Purpose: Supporting Young People and Families Impacted by Addiction and Overdose is a national effort to expand resources and address the substance use epidemic that devastates families and communities nationwide. Between Mother's Day (May 14) and Father's Day (June 18), individuals, families, corporations, and other "recovery allies" will join #PainToPurpose, YPR's nationwide campaign to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and provide solutions that will save lives. The goal is to expand the organization's network of community-based chapters to provide peer recovery support services to more young people in crisis.
"We know that Mother's Day and Father's Day are particularly painful for those who have lost their children to addiction. When YPR was founded in 2010, we never would have imagined more than 100,000 people a year would die from opioid overdoses," said Ann Herbst, Executive Director of Young People in Recovery.
Drugs and alcohol disproportionately affect youth and young adults. Drug overdoses are now the number-one cause of accidental death in the U.S., with more than six in 10 deaths of young adults involving an opioid. Over 150 people die daily from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid now linked to most overdose deaths. Many people who overdose on fentanyl don't even know they're taking it—the drug is being added to counterfeit pills and other substances that young people mistakenly believe are safe.
"Young people today approach recovery very differently than other generations, which parents and recovery providers need to understand. Young people in recovery want to remove all stigma and dispel myths about addiction," adds Herbst. "They are proud of their recovery and don't want to remain anonymous. They know they require more than treatment services in order to thrive. They seek workforce and life-skills training, housing, and long-term support that includes their entire family and community. That's what YPR offers, in person and online, in English and Spanish. You don't have to hit rock bottom to start your recovery. Whenever a young person is ready, help should be available."
About Young People in Recovery (YPR)
Founded in 2010 by a group of young people (under 30), YPR is a national nonprofit organization that provides life skills and peer support for youth and young adults in recovery from substance use disorder. YPR envisions a world where all young people have the resources they need to thrive in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol. YPR's mission is to provide life skills and peer support to help people recover from substance use disorder (SUD) and reach their full potential.
YPR offers three life-skills curriculum programs for individuals of all ages in recovery from SUD, criminal-justice-involved individuals, and young teens at high risk of developing SUD or misusing substances. All YPR activities are offered 100% free of charge to participants.
YPR chapters conduct pro-social activities so young people in recovery can find an alternative peer group that supports their recovery; free community-based workshops to help participants access resources that promote recovery, such as education, housing, and employment; advocacy to promote policies and programs that benefit individuals in recovery from SUD, particularly youth and young adults; and all-recovery meetings that support the many pathways to recovery including 12-Step, harm reduction, medication-assisted, faith-based, and others. In 2022, YPR hosted nearly 5,000 events that provided more than 68,800 individual services to individuals of all ages in recovery from SUD.
For additional information on Young People in Recovery, please visit www.youngpeopleinrecovery.org
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