September is Recovery Month, where agencies and individuals get together through various activities to spread the message that support is here to help recovery from alcohol and drugs.

In the words of the Scottish Recovery Consortium: “Not only is recovery possible – it’s possible for everyone! “

Events are planned right across the country, and here in Inverclyde is no exception. Awareness raising drop-in in the Oak Mall, a remembrance vigil at Clyde Square, art exhibitions, sports competitions, Naloxone training, and then the National Recovery Walk, this year in Glasgow Green – and these are only some of the events that are planned to promote recovery and to support and celebrate people in their recovery journeys.

This is important for us here in Inverclyde, and there truly is a lot planned to take place over September and into October. It is important because we care – we are compassionate to and supportive of each other.

We can look to our expansion of Naloxone distribution, where opioid overdose reversal drugs are made available to more people who may need them. Or we could consider the vast array of peer-led recovery initiatives that are thriving and recognising the strength of lived experience in supporting recovery.

We can celebrate the development of Whole Family Approaches, where support can be available for wider families and communities before and during recovery journeys. Through all of this it is clear that, not only do we want others to do well, but we are happy to play our part in helping that happen.

Recovery Month is important because we have a lot of support available. From statutory services to an incredible family of community and voluntary sector supports – recovery matters here in Inverclyde and no-one in Inverclyde should have to recover alone.

It is also important because we have suffered from the effects of addiction here in Inverclyde for a long time. So many factors have contributed to that context – the stubborn deprivation within the area, our journey of deindustrialisation, the legislative context for dealing with drug use. All have contributed to where we are. But we are not content to stay where we are.

I know that all of the developments and activities I have outlined above are happening, and thriving against the tide of reduced resources, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, and more support being needed in the field of mental health.

But professionals, volunteers, individuals, and their families within our community work every day to help people reach and stay in good health, to develop and deliver services and also to tackle stigma and isolation - which still exist; however, we have the means, and I think the will to eradicate them both.

The global movement towards treating drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal one can help with this. It is something I wholeheartedly believe in, and is now influencing discussions and action in Inverclyde and across Scotland more broadly.

Ensuring that people have access to services is so vital, and those who work in the space of joining up people with the right help at the right time, deserve great and grateful thanks.

We are a recovery community. We are evidence-based in what we do. We seek always to reduce harm. We are community-led in our solutions. We work together. We learn lessons from our past to shape our future. We know how to build and use our resilience when we need to.

All of these factors offer continued hope for progress along the road that lies ahead.