A letter from a former patient reminded Robert Kent how easily treatment leaders can focus on problems and forget the lives their programs helped change. He argues for both effective treatment and accountability - and for remembering that recovery can lead to a life beyond the 'normal' a person knew before.

Tammy Adler Foeller learned through her daughter's addiction that recovery was not only about stopping substance use. Isolation often came first, and connection mattered. She explains why trust after trauma cannot be demanded - it is earned through small, dependable moments and people who keep showing up.

Ryan Perry traces his path from trauma, grief, depression, and painkiller use to opioid addiction, devastating losses, and three overdoses. Recovery began when he stopped waiting to be saved and focused on accountability and one small decision at a time - a lived-experience story for Recovery Month.