This Is What We Are All About

GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS IS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE

We are facing a global health crisis…one that makes the Pandemic of 2019, look like the common cold. Around the world, there are 970 million people struggling with any form of mental illness (AMI) or substance use disorder (SUD).[1] That’s almost a billion lives affected, and the numbers are increasing. 14.3% of deaths worldwide, or approximately 8 million deaths each year, are attributable to mental disorders.[2] The World Health Organization reports that 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental illness at some point in their lives.[3] This health crisis has become a human rights issue that affects richer and poorer nations alike. The social costs of these statistics on our national and global economies are staggering.

AMERICA LEADS THE WORLD IN RATES OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS

In the US alone, the social costs of alcohol abuse was responsible for $191.6 billion annually, and drug abuse was responsible for $151.4 billion.[4] These dollars amount to real losses in healthcare, workplace productivity, collisions, and criminal justice.[5] In 2021, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that 46.3 million people aged 12 or older met the applicable DSM-5 criteria for having a substance use disorder in the past year, including 29.5 million people who were classified as having an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and 24 million people who were classified as having a drug use disorder (DUD).[6]

HOW DO WE GET WELL WHILE LIVING IN THE PROBLEM?

According to the report, 94% of people aged 12 or older with a substance use disorder did not receive any treatment.[7] To put this into perspective, of the total reported Americans with SUD, only 2.8 million received treatment. Racial and ethnic disparities in substance use treatment confirms that some Americans are more likely to receive treatment than others. Documented reports show that the lack of cultural competency due to cultural bias in the work force, confirms indisputably that some Americans are also less likely to finish substance use disorder treatment and are more likely to be asked to leave before treatment is completed.[8]

ONE BIG TENT MISSION AND VISION – RECOVERY FOR ALL UNDER ONE ROOF

At One Big Tent we want to end these disparities so that all who need and want treatment for AUD, SUD and AMI receive the best care to enable them to recover. Our mission is to provide a free online meeting space, where individuals recovering from various mental health and substance use disorders can meet via Zoom®. In this setting, recovery groups are able to offer mutual aid and emotional support as well as explore and implement a variety of programs and methods of recovery both spiritual and secular.

Our mission is to provide a safe and healing environment for persons in recovery—where individuals can gather to share common experiences, situations, problems or conditions—to meet each individual where they are along their recovery journey—to foster an atmosphere of wellness which addresses each individual’s unique needs—as well as encourages individual growth, wellness and recovery, by utilizing peer-tested programs within the recovery community.

We want our community to be all-inclusive, encouraging diversity, discouraging intolerance and reducing the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders. We recognize that people in recovery may face mistreatment, stereotyping, and negative bias from society, including in healthcare settings.

We affirm each individual’s right to make choices that align with their values, whether guided by personal beliefs, scientific principles, or a combination of both. Our aim is to cultivate an atmosphere of acceptance where individuals can freely share their thoughts and experiences without fear of judgment...all under “One Big Tent.”

OUR PROMISE AND COMMITMENT TO THE RECOVERY COMMUNITY

At One Big Tent, safety is a top priority. Our group endeavors to provide the safest meeting space for all attendees and encourages each person here to contribute to fostering a secure and welcoming environment in which our meetings can take place. We respect the individuals’ freedom to divulge as much or as little as they feel comfortable sharing. The assurance of anonymity is essential in our efforts to help individuals reach their recovery goals and personal growth. Our promise is to provide a safe and healing environment for persons in recovery regardless of their social or cultural differences

We are following in the footsteps of Great American Innovators and long-term recovery success stories like Marty Mann, who founded the National Council on Alcoholism in 1944, to provide education to raise awareness of addiction and recovery across our society.[9] And Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, who testified before Congress on the Hughes Act, and envisioned a day when hundreds of AAs would fill the halls of Congress to demonstrate wellness and recovery.[10] And it goes without saying our many thanks to the late Senator Harold Hughes, a person in long-term recovery from addiction, who worked tirelessly to help people in recovery and founded the Society of Americans for Recovery (SOAR) in 1991.[11]

Mental health is a human rights issue and impacts everyone. Caring for people who suffer from mental illness or addiction can change the world and the lives of people in it. At One Big Tent, we want to be a part of the solution. We are a grassroots organization run by a competent courageous team of individuals who have progressed in our long-term recovery from our mental health and substance use disorders. We want everyone struggling with addiction and mental health to have the same opportunities and resources to help them achieve long-term recovery.

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF ONE BIG TENT

ARTICLE III — PURPOSE

This organization is not organized for profit and will be operated primarily to promote social welfare to benefit the community, as specified in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

The purpose of this organization is:

to provide free online meeting spaces, where groups of individuals recovering from various mental health and substance use disorders can meet and share experiences via Zoom® and other web, internet and e-mail-based programs.
to offer mutual aid and support as well as explore and implement a variety of programs and methods of recovery, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
to provide a safe and healing environment for persons in recovery—an atmosphere of acceptance where individuals can freely share their thoughts and experiences without fear of judgment.
to help reduce and irradicate the social and emotional stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders around the world.
to benefit the society at large by helping individuals rebuild their lives, at the same time helping to bridge the gap between communities and healthcare professionals and reducing the overall costs of mental health, medical and social services.
to influence public policy and make it possible for the over 46 million Americans and almost 1 billion individuals worldwide still struggling with mental illness and addiction to find long-term recovery.
to raise awareness of the challenges and the need for increased support services throughout the mental healthcare industry by mobilizing resources within and outside the recovery community.

Stacey R.

CEO - One Big Tent

REFERENCES:

[1, 2, 3] Global Mental Health Statistics | Children's HopeChest

[4] Substance Abuse Prevention Dollars and Cents: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

[5] The Cost of Excessive Alcohol Use | Infographics | Online Media | Alcohol | CDC

[6, 7] SAMHSA Announces National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Results Detailing Mental Illness and Substance Use Levels in 2021 | HHS.gov

[8] Racial Disparities in Accessing Treatment for Substance Use Highlights Work to Be Done – USC Schaeffer

[9, 10, 11] RCO-Toolkit.pdf

OTHER REFERENCES:

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Gaps in the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Referral Process: Provider Perceptions - PMC