The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery

11/27/2025

This week holds many truths. For some, it brings togetherness or rest. For others, it brings grief, pressure, loneliness, or memories that are difficult. And for many, it is a reminder of the ongoing impacts of colonization, displacement, and historical harm.

At VAMHAR, we honor the full complexity of this time. There is no one “right way” to feel. Every experience is valid.

As we move through these days, we’re grounding ourselves in what does feel true for us: the power of connection, care, and community.

We’re deeply grateful for the people who make Vermont healthier, safer, and more compassionate:
✨ Providers and peers showing up every day
✨ People in recovery and those navigating substance use with courage and honesty
✨ Families, advocates, and neighbors extending kindness
✨ Harm reductionists distributing supplies, education, and hope
✨ Anyone offering warmth, rides, resources, listening, or love

Your efforts save lives. Your presence matters. You matter.

Whether this week offers celebration, rest, reflection, challenge, or simply another set of days to move through - we’re holding space for you. We wish you moments of gentleness, nourishment, connection, and care.

Take good care of yourselves and each other.

11/26/2025

When the holidays hurt, you are not alone.

This season can be tender for people carrying grief — especially grief connected to substance use, fatal overdose, or complex health challenges.
The pressure to “be merry” can make loss feel even heavier.

At VAMHAR, we want to name what’s true:
✨ Grief is valid.
✨ You don’t have to perform joy.
✨ You can set boundaries that protect your heart.

Here are a few gentle ways to care for yourself this season:

• “I’m taking things one day at a time. Thank you for understanding.”
• “Thank you for thinking of me. I’m not up for gatherings right now.”
• “I’m carving out some quiet this week. I’ll reach out when I have more capacity.”

If this time of year hurts, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.
It means you’re human, and you deserve compassion, support, and space.

We’re here with you 💛 You are not alone.

11/25/2025

Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. A global call to recognize, name, and end the many forms of violence experienced by women, girls, and gender-expansive people.

At VAMHAR, we understand that violence and trauma are deeply connected to substance use, mental health, and barriers to care.
Violence does not happen in a vacuum — it is shaped by inequities, stigma, and the ways systems either show up for people or fail them.

We stand with survivors.
We honor the strength it takes to seek support in the aftermath of harm.
And we commit to building communities where safety, dignity, and autonomy are a given — not an exception.

Violence shows up in many forms:
🔹 Physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse
🔹 Coercion, control, and intimidation
🔹 Systemic and institutional harm
🔹 Barriers that make it unsafe to reach out for help

Safety and healing require:
✨ Accessible, trauma-informed services
✨ Culturally responsive care
✨ Harm reduction practices rooted in dignity
✨ Community accountability and support
✨ Space for people to reclaim their power and voice

Today and every day, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting survivors, expanding pathways to safety, and ending violence in all its forms.

❤️ You are not alone.
❤️ You deserve support.
❤️ You deserve safety.
❤️ You deserve a life free from violence.

11/24/2025

Read our newest blog post about grief and the holiday season here:

HOW TO SUPPORT OURSELVES & OTHERS THROUGH GRIEF

11/24/2025

Vermont saw a drop in opioid-related overdose deaths - from 236 (2023) to 183 (2024).
Harm reduction, community support, and expanded services save lives.

But 183 Vermonters lost is still far too many, and current attacks to harm reduction put this progress at risk.

Now is the time to push forward, not pull back:

🔸 Expand harm reduction
🔸 Support impacted communities
🔸 Increase recovery pathways
🔸 Advocate for life-saving policies

VAMHAR remains committed to preventing overdose and strengthening communities across Vermont.

11/21/2025

Recovery doesn’t follow a straight line, and the data shows it.
People thrive when we give them choice, autonomy, and support without judgment.

💬 Multiple pathways to recovery
💬 Connection reduces relapse risk
💬 Positive experiences improve long-term outcomes
💬 Peer support continues to be one of the most effective tools we have

Behind every number is a person with strengths, dreams, and a story that deserves compassion and respect.

11/20/2025

It's a Thursday Social Media Takeover!

This is Daniel, and it's my honor to take this moment to celebrate our beloved friend and colleague Martina Anderson. On November 6 Martina was recognized as a VermontBiz Rising Star (40 under 40). In nominating Martina, it was a privilege to share not just Martina's outstanding work as a professional in capacities at our The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery, Vermont CARES, and elsewhere, but also her deep humanity, fierce advocacy, compassion, and loving and generous nature. If a team or an organization is one body, Martina would be the heart. ♥️
She brings heart to her work day in and day out, articulating the values and mission that guides us and how we serve others not only with skill but with a compass and a light that shows the way for us all.

38 | Director of Communication, VAMHARResidence: Washington Career Highlights: Helping launch a hyper low-barrier buprenorphine program during my time at Vermont CARES. At first, I was hesitant as I never wanted people coming to the Syringe Service Program to feel pressured into treatment or risk th...

11/19/2025

🚨 Another New Training Alert: Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders (3 CEUs)

Dive into evidence-based approaches for supporting people with both mental health and substance use disorders — including DBT, CBT, MI, integrated care, and more.

➡️ Start learning today: vamhar.learnupon.com

11/18/2025

🚨 New Training Available!
Understanding Poly-Substance Use - with a focus on Vermont’s rise in fentanyl + co***ne overdose deaths.

Learn practical, evidence-based harm reduction strategies for stimulant–opioid mixes.
Your knowledge can save lives.

➡️ Your next step starts here: vamhar.learnupon.com

11/17/2025

Here in Vermont, we look out for one another.
Harm reduction isn’t just a strategy - it’s compassion in action, and it keeps our neighbors alive. Harm reduction means meeting people where they’re at with tools, love, and zero judgment. Together, we can save lives and build connection - one conversation, one resource, one moment at a time. When we are all in this together, our neighbors have a real chance to heal and thrive.

Thank you Good Neighbor Health Clinic & Red Logan Dental Clinic for all you do for your community! We are so thrilled to be working with you!

11/14/2025

In Vermont, community care looks like this:

• Food shelves that also host peer recovery circles.
• Warming shelters offering harm reduction supplies.
• Employers joining the Recovery-Friendly Workplace movement to create jobs that heal, not harm.

These programs meet basic needs and human needs - together.

This is what systems change looks like: compassion in action, neighbors supporting neighbors, and a belief that everyone deserves safety, connection, and dignity.

Join us in sustaining this work. Be part of the movement that builds the foundation for hope. vamhar.org/donate

11/13/2025

Vermont’s latest Social Autopsy Report and the State of Mental Health in America 2025 report tell a shared story: Vermonters are trying to get help, but too often, the systems meant to support them are disconnected.

At VAMHAR, we’re listening deeply to what the data shows and turning it into action: new trainings, stronger partnerships, and community spaces that move us from scarcity to shared care.

Together, we can build a Vermont where connection saves lives. Read our full reflection in the latest newsletter. Sign up here:

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