September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, as sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. What follows is a compelling speech to Congress delivered on July 30, 2001 by U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) that encourages Congress to recognize Recovery Month.

Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago tomorrow -- on July 31, 1981 -- I woke up from my last alcoholic blackout in a jail cell in Sioux Falls, S.D., under arrest for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and failure to vacate. Today, on the eve of my 20th anniversary as a grateful recovering alcoholic, I am alive and sober only because I had access to addiction treatment. My treatment experience at St. Mary's Hospital in Minneapolis started me on the road to recovery and gave me the tools to live a sober, productive life the past 20 years.

But, Mr. Speaker, 26 million other Americans are not so fortunate. That's right! There are 26 million active alcoholics and drug addicts in the United States, and fewer than 5 percent are able to access treatment for their disease of addiction. And this disease is afflicting people of all ages. Among young people ages 12 to 17, an estimated 1.1 million are dependent on illicit drugs. Another 1 million are addicted to alcohol.

In fact, last year alone, 3.5 million drug addicts were denied access to addiction treatment, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. And that does not account for the staggering number of alcoholics denied treatment. Alcoholism and other drug addiction are an epidemic in America that is not being adequately treated. An epidemic that killed 150,000 Americans last year and cost the American people $246 billion, according to the Family Research Council.

The American Medical Association first declared alcoholism a disease in 1956a fatal disease if not treated. We alcoholics and addicts will ultimately die, either directly or indirectly as the result of our addiction if our disease is not arrested and recovery maintained. Mr. Speaker, the good news is that treatment works! According to the statistics, treatment for alcoholism and other addictions has the same recovery rate as treatment for diabetes, hypertension and adult asthma, and a higher recovery rate than treatment for kidney disease and many forms of cancer. As former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey told Congress, "Addiction treatment is more effective than cancer treatment, and it's a lot cheaper."

It's well documented that every dollar spent for treatment saves $7 in health care costs, criminal justice costs and lost productivity from job absenteeism, injuries and sub-par work performance. A number of studies have shown that health care costs alone are 100 percent higher for untreated alcoholics and addicts than for recovering people who have received treatment.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, addiction treatment works and it's cost-effective. Treatment not only saved my life, but it's saved several million lives in the United States, restoring people to sanity and enabling them to lead healthy, productive lives. That's why I urge my colleagues to support this resolution commemorating National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. . . .

This September, special attention will focus on the relationships impacted by addiction and recovery. The theme will be We Recover Together: Family, Friends and Community.

As any recovering person will tell you, addiction is extremely destructive to family members, and the support of our family and friends is invaluable as we travel the road to recovery. Addiction is also destructive to communities -- with 82 percent of prison inmates in the United States incarcerated because of drug and/or alcohol addiction. Increasing access to treatment for youths is especially critical. Despite the benefits of treatment, a significant gap exists between the number of adolescents who need addiction treatment and those who receive it. According to a study done in Minnesota, a state that has led the nation in the treatment and prevention of addiction, only one-fourth of youth age 14 to 17 who need treatment receive it.

Marking "Recovery Month" also gives us an opportunity to recognize the tremendous strides taken by those who have undergone treatment and the professionals in the treatment field who have dedicated their lives to helping others. By celebrating recovery, we celebrate the lives of the millions of people and their families and friends in recovery today. We also give hope to those still suffering the ravages of faddiction.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution, H.Con.Res. 190.

--Published September 10, 2001