On September 23, 2024, at 6 pm, the Lowndes County DUI and Drug Accountability Courts will be joining with the Georgia Council for Recovery, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Bridgeway Recovery Center, and other stakeholders in hosting the 2^nd Annual Recovery Rally at Unity Park to celebrate the 35^th National Recovery Month. It will be an evening to honor and celebrate people in recovery, including those whose recovery was aided by accountability courts. This event aims to bring awareness to recovery and highlight available recovery resources in our community.

There are more than 22 million Americans in recovery. In Georgia, the number of people struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse increases drastically each year. For our state, 15.1% of adults over the age of 18 binge drink at least once per month. In 2021, the median number of drinks per binge was 5.3, and 25% of most active drinkers consumed a median of 7.5 drinks per binge. Georgia has a higher rate of underage drinkers than the majority of states. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that Georgia averages one death from excessive alcohol use for every 2,710 people aged 18 and older. Recovery from substance abuse, severe and persistent mental illness, and co-occurring disorders is a long-term process that must be managed over a lifetime. 

The Recovery Rally on September 23^rd is open to the public, and will have resource tables, live music, various speakers. Big Nick’s will be graciously providing food. The event will include speakers that will discuss recovery and the impact of substance misuse on our community. Various speakers include local leaders, lawmakers, law enforcement, accountability court representatives, peers in recovery, and various other leaders and organizations from our Valdosta community. 

The Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court was founded in 2017, and its mission is to confront the substance abuse issues of multiple DUI offenders to reduce recidivism through enhanced supervision, treatment, and individual accountability by addressing underlying substance use and mental health issues. Since its creation, the Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court has graduated 92 participants from the program and will celebrate three new graduates on September 13, 2024, totaling 95 graduates who have successfully completed the Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court Program. Accountability courts are successful intervention programs for leading people living with substance misuse and mental health disorders out of the justice system and into lives of recovery and stability. 

For more information on the Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court program, call Heather Harris, Coordinator at 229-671-2895.