Sinn Féin will host an event in Leinster House this week to mark Recovery Month, the international month recognising people in recovery from addiction and challenging the stigma that surrounds it.

Ann Graves TD, the party’s spokesperson on the National Drug and Alcohol Strategy, Addiction, Recovery and Well Being, is leading the event. This year’s Recovery Month Ireland theme is Recovering Together, a message Graves says reflects that recovery from addiction and related trauma is possible for individuals, families and entire communities, provided the right long-term supports are in place.

What the Event Will Cover

The Leinster House event will feature a range of speakers sharing personal accounts of how drug use and addiction affected their lives and communities, and how they found their way into recovery with proper support. Graves described attending multiple recovery events already this September, saying the message from those gatherings has been consistent: government needs to adopt a health-led approach to addiction rather than one built around criminalising drug users.

The Wider Point Behind the Event

Graves framed Recovery Month Ireland not just as a celebration but as a challenge to how addiction is currently treated in policy terms, pointing to stigma, marginalisation and criminalisation of people who use drugs as barriers that recovery-focused approaches need to address. Her comments position the event as part of an ongoing push for Ireland’s National Drug and Alcohol Strategy to shift further toward treatment and long-term support structures.

Source: dbrecoveryresources