Recovery is, in its essence, a highly individualized, lived experience of moving through and beyond the limitations of one's disorder. Given the uniqueness of each person's recovery journey, the translation of knowledge about processes of recovery into principles for recovery-oriented practices and systems is neither straightforward nor direct. Before taking up the complex challenge of beginning to identify and elaborate on the implications of a recovery orientation for practice, we review some of the lessons which have been learned to date about the varieties of recovery experiences in the lives of people with addictions and/or mental illnesses.

Recovery is the process of healing the effects of a) one's illness and its consequences, b) the social stigma attached to the illness, and c) the sometimes painful effects of well intended treatment interventions. Recovery implies a process of regaining what was lost due to one's illness and its treatment and a process of discovery and moving beyond the illness and its limitations into previously unexplored potential.  

There are many pathways to and varieties of recovery experience. The course and outcome of both mental illnesses and addictions vary across transient and persistent patterns. Transient patterns respond to self-resolution or brief professional intervention, while persistent patterns often require sustained professional- and peer-based supports. Those with a more prolonged course often differ in the presence of greater personal vulnerability (e.g., family history, lower age of onset, traumatic victimization), greater problem severity, interlocked co-occurring problems, and low family and social supports. Recovery styles span natural recovery (without the aid of professional or peer support), peer-assisted recovery (mutual aid involvement), and professionally-assisted recovery (professional treatment). 

Treatment and recovery are not the same. Treatment encompasses the way professionals intervene to stabilize or alter the course of an illness; recovery is the personal experience of the individual as he or she moves out of illness into health and wholeness. Recovery is the experiential shift from despair to hope, alienation to purpose, isolation to relationship, withdrawal to involvement, and from passive adjustment to active coping.

Recovery can occur within or outside the context of professionally-directed treatment. Where treatment is involved, treatment may, depending on its orientation and methods, play a helpful, neutral or hurtful role in recovery. Recovery can be claimed only by the person in recovery, and that ownership includes the right to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from one's experiences.

Recovery exists on a continuum of improved health and functioning. The mental health field has long affirmed the concept of partial recovery (some residual disability with reduced social costs and improved health and functioning) but, until recently, has lacked a vision of full recovery from serious mental illness (minimal residual disability and resumption of pre-illness levels of health and functioning). In contrast, the addiction treatment field has had an unequivocal goal of full recovery (sustained abstinence and increased health) but has lacked an operational concept of partial recovery (reduced frequency and intensity of alcohol and other drug use and related problems and increased quality of life). The complementarity between these two forms of recovery may benefit both fields.

more ..