September is Recovery Month with Brad StorySeptember is Recovery Month with Brad Story
The Association Spotlight Series
Lake Morehouse and Brad Story talk about September as Recovery Month, emphasising small victories, multiple paths to recovery and the importance of community support. They focus on reducing stigma, recognising addiction as a chronic disease and encouraging simple, meaningful ways for people to support those in recovery.
12:32•22 Sept 2026
Celebrating Small Wins: Recovery Month with Brad Story
Episode Overview
- Recovery is a long-term journey made up of small wins, such as steady employment or reconnecting with family, and those steps deserve recognition.
- There is no single right path to recovery; medication-assisted treatment, abstinence-based approaches, formal treatment and faith or home-based recovery are all valid routes.
- Addiction is described as a chronic disease where relapse can occur, so communities are urged to welcome people back and keep offering support.
- Simple acts like saying “I’m proud of you” or sending a short message can have a huge impact on someone’s confidence and motivation in recovery.
- West Virginia’s communities and providers have made significant progress in building a recovery ecosystem, but there is still work to do in reducing stigma and expanding support.
“You can recover, you can get better… they don’t let their issues define them and they overcome them. And that’s what this month is all about.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This conversation between host Lake Morehouse and CEO Brad Story shines a spotlight on Recovery Month in September and what it really means for West Virginians living with substance use disorder. Brad shares how deeply addiction has touched his own life, from a brother who battled addiction for 30 years to friends lost before finishing high school.
That honesty sets the tone: this isn’t an abstract policy chat, it’s about real people, real families and real communities. As Brad puts it, “you can recover, you can get better… they don’t let their issues define them and they overcome them. And that’s what this month is all about.” You’ll hear them talk about why recovery isn’t a straight line or a one-size-fits-all path.
Medication-assisted treatment, abstinence-based approaches, formal treatment programmes, church communities and even self-directed recovery at home all have a place. The emphasis stays firmly on grace, patience and support rather than judgement. The episode also highlights how easy it is to forget that behind every statistic is a person: a parent working to regain custody, someone holding down a job for the first time in years, or a neighbour quietly marking another month sober.
Lake and Brad stress the importance of celebrating those “small wins and chunk plays” – holding a job, reconnecting with kids, staying engaged in care – as genuine milestones. For anyone wondering how to help, Brad keeps it simple: show up, show grace and speak up. A quick “I’m proud of you” at a community event or a short message on social media might feel tiny, but, as he explains, it can mean more than you’ll ever know.
If Recovery Month has you curious, this episode offers a grounded, hopeful look at how communities, providers and everyday people can stand alongside those in recovery. Whose small win could you celebrate today?
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