The Varieties of Recovery Experience: A Primer for Addiction Treatment Professionals and Recovery Advocates

Abstract

The study of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) is historically marked by three stages: 1) the investigation of AOD-related social and personal pathologies, 2) the development of personal and social interventions aimed at resolving AOD problems, and 3) a focus on the prevalence and patterns of long-term recovery from AOD problems. This essay honors this transition from addiction and treatment paradigms to a recovery paradigm by exploring the growing varieties of pathways and styles through which people are resolving serious and persistent AOD-related problems. A review of scientific and mutual aid literature is used to catalogue variations in:  scope of recovery (primary and secondary chemical health and global health)  depth of recovery (partial, full and enriched)  types of recovery (abstinence-based, moderation-based, medication-assisted)  context of recovery initiation (solo, peer-assisted, treatment