The Significance of Purple
Celebrating National Recovery Month and Go Purple Campaigns!
It’s that time of the year again! Hang those purple lights up, wear those purple ribbons and just GO PURPLE!
In 1989 the United States National Recovery Month, September, was founded and a new color – Purple – was selected as the recovery movement’s official color. Today, the color purple has expanded its reach to include the addiction recovery movement.
As you drive through the area, you will begin to notice the change – purple signs from businesses and civic groups, county celebrations and fireworks and solemn walks in memory of individuals who have lost their lives to addiction. These events mark a recognizable reduction in the stigma that has begun to happen over the past several years due to this campaign. Purple lights on county buildings and stadiums, churches covered in purple wreaths, and so on. These are meant to be a visual cue to celebrate people who have made the brave choice to be in recovery as well as expand the education and awareness of addiction and recovery.
In fact, underscoring that idea, this year’s national theme is “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community.”
That is why Go Purple and similar campaigns are so important. While we celebrate recovery on our Campus, in our Treatment and Sober Living homes and certainly within the recovery community, most of the public never learns of these successes by the very nature of the safeguards in place for individual privacy.
That is the impetus for the month, and the public events that take place. We are attending many – often with displays and materials – in support of this effort, two we particularly encourage you to attend. The Tri-County Overdose Awareness Walk at Winterplace Park on August 31 and the Wicomico Goes PurpleNight of Hope at the Salisbury Amphitheater, on September 30 will be wonderful events. We hope to see you there.
Be Well,
Leslie Brown, CEO
