[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 19080-19081]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL ADDICTION RECOVERY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 20, 2006

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call our attention to 
National Addiction Recovery Month this September, and I encourage all 
my colleagues to join me in recognizing and commending those who commit 
their time and effort to addiction recovery.
  In 2005, an estimated 19 million Americans used illicit drugs. The 
impact of this pandemic is felt not only by individuals and their 
families, but by society as well. Addiction costs our society and 
economy billions of dollars each year, in health care costs, property 
damage, and lost productivity. It also costs lives, and causes immense 
amounts of grief and pain. Addiction is a disease, and it must be 
attacked as such. No one is immune from addiction, as it afflicts 
people of all ages, all races, all classes, and all professions.
  As with any serious disease, the treatment for addiction relies on 
great amounts of research and advances in health sciences. There have 
been tremendous strides in the fight against addiction. Congress 
allocates billions of dollars each year on addiction research at the 
National Institutes of Health. The NIH is a leader in this regard, and 
it has committed funds to research on addiction, including research on 
how addiction takes over the brain, the body, and the central nervous 
system. We must continue to fund NIH at the level it deserves so 
scientists can unlock the mysteries of addiction and its impact on 
individuals and society.
  Today, September 20, 2006, is National Addiction Professionals Day, 
and I applaud the hard work and dedication of addiction counselors who 
must encounter daily the difficult

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task of prevention, intervention, and treatment. The research on 
addiction that NIH conducts can only support and complement the 
addiction counselors' efforts in helping many Americans afflicted with 
addiction. We need to give them all of the support we can.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
valuable contributions of all those who devote their time and energy to 
addiction recovery. We should honor and appreciate their hard work. 
Congress has shown strong support for this issue. However, we are far 
from victory, and we must continue our steadfast fight against drug and 
alcohol addiction. I look forward to the day when addiction to drugs 
and alcohol are eradicated, and these wonderful professionals can take 
their final bow.

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