Acta non verba

Acta non verba translates to “actions, not words”, a phrase often associated with community service and one that is frequently heard throughout the recovery community.

Words matter and language carries power. The way people speak about substance use, recovery, and community shapes how individuals are perceived and how they receive support. But eventually, words ask something more: How are my values followed by my action?

This phrase is often brought to life through the words of local harm reduction coordinator, Chris Alderman:

“Acta non verba is not just street-level work, but the kind of action that builds bridges, shifts rooms, and changes systems. Anyone can say they care about people who use drugs. Anyone can talk about stigma, policy, recovery, or compassion. But we have to move things… to advocate, connect people who would’ve never met, open doors, change narratives, and push conversations that make folks uncomfortable in the best way. My work lives in relationships, in trust, in showing up to meetings and refusing to let the same old thinking run unchallenged. Words spark awareness, but action turns awareness into movement. This phrase reminds me daily… don’t just believe in change, build it.”

Within the recovery ecosystem, action is often quiet, consistent, and relational. It shows up in sustained presence, in empathetic listening, and in the slowness of building trust. It means challenging stigma when it appears in familiar spaces, staying engaged when progress feels incremental, and choosing collaboration over competition. It prioritizes people, and in turn, shifts the systems that impact them.

As the holiday season approaches, reflection becomes especially important. What does it mean to be part of something larger than yourself? What does it mean to truly be in community with one another? What does a community need in this moment, and what capacity exists to meet those needs? What skills, strengths, and lived experiences can be offered? And how will individuals and organizations show up for their communities, not just in words, but through action?

Ultimately, Acta non verba is not a call to do everything. It is a call to do something, intentionally, relationally, and with care.