September is National Recovery Month (Recovery Month), a time to promote substance use treatment and recovery, empower the recovery community, and honor treatment service providers and recovery communities. This year, Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) marks the 5th anniversary of the Recovery Cards Project with the release of a special collection of cards. Recovery Cards Project provides free greeting cards to people in Colorado who are in treatment for or are in recovery from addiction or are supporting a person in recovery. 

“According to BHA’s Performance Hub, about 51,000 people received BHA-funded substance use disorder services in 2023. But we know that more people in Colorado need these services. The Colorado Health Access Survey shows that from 2021-2023, nearly 100,000 Colorado adults did not get needed treatment or counseling for their substance use disorder. Many contributing factors keep people from receiving treatment—from the stigma or shame people with addiction feel to simply not knowing that resources designed to provide support are available to them,” said BHA Commissioner Dannette R. Smith. “In Colorado, we have many treatment and recovery resources and are intentional about making them as stigma-free as possible.” 

Find ways BHA is reducing stigma, as well as BHA-provided treatment and recovery resources below: 

Recovery Cards Project by Lift The Label  

Created in 2019, Recovery Cards Project works with artists in Colorado and nationwide including many of whom are in recovery themselves or have a loved one who has struggled with substance use disorder.  

“Over the past five years, Recovery Cards Project has distributed over 150,000 cards, and over 300 Recovery Cards Project kits to community organizations to share locally. That is 150,000 touchpoints—150,000 opportunities to make a difference in a life. These touch points are a large part of how we help support people in Colorado on their journey from active use to ongoing recovery,” said Commissioner Smith. 

To celebrate this five-year milestone, Recovery Cards Project is releasing five new card designs. The cards celebrate recovery, the efforts of those working to achieve it, and the people who support and encourage them every day.  

Colorado residents can order cards for free at RecoveryCardsProject.com. You can also find cards at the Rally for Recovery on Sept. 21 in Denver.