What are recovery supports?
The first thing to understand is we have to step away from the mindset that if someone gets a 21 or 28 day treatment episode they are good. This is something that drives me crazy to hear from people. Just put into context this mindset. If an individual was assessed to need inpatient treatment for a substance use disorder the likelihood that they have a variety of issues that need to be addressed is very high. That 21-28 day treatment will help for sure, but, it will only scratch the surface of help a person will need far beyond the days of them leaving treatment. I will even go as far as to say we have to step away from the idea that if someone goes to any type of substance use disorder treatment, inpatient or outpatient, it will be enough. In all to many situations it is not. This is where this writing comes in to explain what those needs might be and what you will hear called "recovery supports".
First, mental health counseling is a must for many in recovery. In a large percentage of situations a person who has a substance use disorder also has a diagnosable mental health disorder. The good news is many treatment centers are employing mental health professionals to begin this needed work while a person is in those early days of treatment. With that said, it will need to continue after that initial addiction treatment episode. This is an area that is a struggle for many and there can be financial barriers that prevent someone from having access to a counselor. In many areas, ours being one of them due to us being rural, there simply are not enough counselors to go around. For many people, in those early days of recovery, they don't have insurance or cash out of pocket and they are reliant on state funding for mental health counseling. This is an area where I 100% back taxpayer funded mental health counseling and it is a critical recovery support.
Second, is access to stable housing. When someone leaves treatment they need to have a place to live that is stable and safe. Some won't have an issue in this area if they have family, or, they are returning to their original home and it is a healthy environment that will be supportive of their recovery path. For others, this can be a scary situation and significant risk to their success on their early days in recovery. I immediately think of the young adult who has come from the streets, has made the decision to turn things around, gets an opportunity to go to treatment, and afterward has no place to live. Imagine this for yourself if you had to get any kind of significant medical treatment, and, you had no place to go afterward, you will simply told you couldn't stay at the medical facility anymore. This happens for people in early recovery. We must increase access to housing for people in early recovery. There are places in highly populated areas in the form of Oxford housing and other entities that provide this type of housing. Yet, in other areas it is limited and almost always full. We must also, while increasing housing, open our minds to the reality that recovery is not linear and move away from kicking people to the streets if they return to use or they don't adhere to the "one way or the highway" mantra of recovery. When someone has stable housing they are better able to go to the next steps to keep improving their lives.
Third, is access to employment/job training/education. For some in those early days of recovery getting a job can be difficult and they can face barriers. For those in early recovery with criminal records they will face the reality that some employers won't even talk to them. A barrier for others is the process they face to gain access to vocational training or earning a college degree. These processes alone can be daunting, and, for a person in recovery, even more daunting to thing they can accomplish. I am encouraged in this area in recent years because their has been a shift in policies/laws that prevent employers from not allowing a person to apply simply because they have a record. At minimum that person will get an opportunity to have a conversation about what is on their record. These laws don't prevent employers from conducting background checks and making hiring decisions based on a background, it simply says give a person a chance to apply and talk about their situation. Additionally, and more positive movement in this area, is many employers are willing to hire people in recovery and give them a chance. Providing help in this area through education and community support can go a long way in helping someone get a job, learn a trade, or earn a degree. When writing about this I almost always think of MOD Pizza as a great example of an employer that supports people in recovery gaining a foothold back into the workforce.
Fourth, is access to a variety of mutual aid support groups. Many only know of twelve-step programs to support people in recovery. The reality is there are many other mutual aid support groups in existence that do great work to help someone maintain and enhance their lives in recovery. SMART Recovery, Women for Sobriety, Secular Organizations for Sobriety, and LifeRing Secular Recovery are all valid ways for people to support their lives in recovery. Still, to this very day, we have systems of care that will only allow people to go to a twelve step group as a support for their recovery. While twelve step groups are useful for some, others may choose another path, and it should be counted as well. We must support all paths and supports that one chooses to support their life in recovery. This isn't as large an issue in more populous areas where the prevalence of alternatives outside of twelve step groups are there, but, in rural areas this can be an issue and those communities should be open to new types of mutual aid groups forming for those that desire them. This is where I think of the "one way or the highway" mindset that can be problematic and must go away.
The above are four of the key areas of recovery supports that communities need to have in place for our community members in recovery from substance use disorder. Critical is the importance of having these in place for people in early recovery. Early recovery being the first two years for someone who has found a new life after active addiction. The research is clear in this area. When we truly support people with access to needed resources for the first two years, their chances of success go up dramatically.
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