Research also suggests that support from families can be key to recovery, but that few families become engaged in the process. He states that research shows that family-based support for addiction recovery is critical but often not obtained. Yet sustained, personalized recovery services are essential because treatment is just the first step toward growth and finding a high quality of life without substances.

Put simply, these projects will benefit communities grappling with opioid misuse and overdose and other substance use disorders by rapidly advancing research aimed at providing effective recovery support services to people who need them. Some of the recovery organizations Unick and Tuten are working with are operations that are using sophisticated methods for data collection and using that evidence to influence practice, citing as one example Mosaic Community Services. That is becoming a key metric for making these supports widely available through expanded public or private funding, or for linking the services to healthcare systems. In the past few decades, science has brought us effective behavioral and medication addiction treatments as well as lifesaving treatments that revive people from overdose and give them a chance to seek lasting recovery. Lived experience suggests that individuals may need tools to manage their health long-term, as well as friendship and support from those with similar lived experiences.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

The goal of recovery support services – which were originally developed by people in recovery and have grown largely outside of the health care system – is to help people either in or seeking recovery from addiction build and sustain positive social networks. They address multiple factors including education, job training and employment, positive family and social relationships, and housing opportunities, and they work to meet many other personal and professional needs. These factors, known collectively as “recovery capital,” enhance an individual’s ability to function in his or her surroundings, reduce the risk of problematic substance use, and maximize quality of life. In 2016, Rutherford created the cloud-based Recovery Data Platform that houses “recovery vital signs” from 70 recovery organizations nationwide. This information can be used by any organization to provide tailored recovery services to program participants.

This group of people with lived experience advises the NIH HEAL Initiative on research directions and ensures that research takes into consideration input from people and communities the initiative aims to benefit. Counseling can take a number of forms depending on the type of therapy being used, the goals of the treatment, and other factors in the life of the person receiving therapy. It makes no more sense to label oneself as « recovering » forever from an addiction, than it does for a person who used to be depressed to forever be « recovering » from depression, or a person who has been cancer-free for 15 years to still define herself as a cancer patient. It certainly makes no sense to define « recovering » in terms of whether you are in one treatment approach or another.

Family Matters

In combination with counseling and psychotherapy, psychiatric medications provide significant relief for many clients. They also can help individuals manage symptoms to the point where they can use other strategies to pursue recovery. When appropriate, Odyssey House also uses medication-assisted treatment to help our clients reduce their cravings and manage other withdrawal symptoms. Recovery residences are privately-owned homes or complexes that provide housing for adults with a substance use disorder (SUD) or co-occurring disorder. They serve individuals that are currently receiving outpatient SUD services or are enrolled in recovery services. Rehab describes structured programs designed to help people stop using drugs or alcohol and learn to live a healthy life.

The vital signs include various evidence-based assessments that measure engagement (health outcomes and ratings related to relationships and cravings) and the many sources of recovery capital. The goal, Rutherford explains, is to construct a “recovery story” built from both qualitative and quantitative data for each individual seeking support. Various HEAL-funded research projects, such as the HEALing Communities Study, partner with recovery organizations to help communities choose the most effective strategies to meet local needs and conditions. The NIH HEAL Initiative also partners with NIDA to fund research within the Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science, a nationwide effort that focuses on research network-building initiatives.

MENTAL HEALTH

Hogue’s HEAL-funded research aims to create tools for providers, youth, and their families to find lasting recovery by targeting three concrete principles. First is developing family-involvement protocols for providers to learn how to bring families into the picture; second is defining metrics to measure success; and third is creating user-friendly remote services for use by individuals and family members. To give providers and program participants access to high-quality recovery residences in San Diego County region. Recovery stories are important because people need choices that work for them, he urges.

As part of the Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science, two HEAL-funded research teams are laying the groundwork for current and future science-based community participation in recovery research. StartYourRecovery.org provides facility information using publicly available data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and cannot independently verify the data. StartYourRecovery.org does not guarantee the quality of care or results of working with any provider or treatment facility. Please contact us if you are the proprietor of a facility and have updates or corrections to site content.

Counseling

The HEAL Community stands behind these scientists – and thousands more – who are working every day to harness the power of data and the strength of community to make sure people seeking a secure future in recovery have the best tools and support to arrive at that future and stay there. The Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity uses evidence and innovation to reduce poverty and increase equity. It advances research, data and design in the City’s program and policy development, service delivery, and budget decisions. recovery residence However, in 12-step programs, the term has been used in a different way. There, it is traditional for people to refer to themselves as « in recovery » no matter how long they have been abstinent from their addictive behavior and no matter how well they are doing in life. People may not know what paths exist, or even that a path exists at all, says Philip Rutherford, Chief Operating Officer at Faces and Voices of Recovery, who has been in recovery for 20 years and is also a member of the HEAL Community Partner Committee.