Recovery Resource Library
The Portrayal of Addiction Recovery in American Comic Books & Graphic Novels – Part 2
This final blog in our five-part series concludes our exploration of the portrayal of addiction recovery within 35 American comic books and 9 graphic novels. The Role of Recovery Mutual Aid Groups The supportive role of recovery mutual aid groups was limited exclusively to Twelve-Step groups (Alcoholics Anonymous) within American comic books and graphic novels…
The Portrayal of Addiction Recovery in American Comic Books and Graphic Novels – Part 1
Earlier blogs in this series have explored how a sample of 35 American comic books and 9 graphic novels portrayed drug use, the causes of addiction, and addiction-related consequences on individuals and families. The present blog explores dominant themes related to the portrayal of addiction recovery. Limited Portrayal of the Recovery Experience While addiction is…
The Portrayal of Addiction Consequences in American Comic Books and Graphic Novels
In the first two blogs in this series, we explored the historical portrayal of drug use and addiction in American comic books and graphics novels as well as the factors related to addiction vulnerability. The present blog examines the portrayal of addiction-related effects on global health and social functioning within 35 American comic books and…
Participatory Process Tip Sheet
Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) and other peer programs are more productive as a recovery community and more supportive as a recovery space when they strive to meet folks where they’re at. Begin by creating an environment where participation is natural, enthusiastic, non-threatening — a culture where social roles within a community begin to emerge. We…
Guidelines for Personal Safety & Public Recovery Self-Disclosure
He who shows himself at every place will someday look for a place to hide. –African Proverb Earlier blogs in this series explored the benefits and limitations of public recovery disclosure, the potential risks to multiple parties involved in such disclosure, and the ethics of recovery disclosure. In this final blog in the series, we…
The Ethics of Public Recovery Self-Disclosure
Ethics involves the application of moral principles to promote good and prevent harm. Ethical decision-making within our service and advocacy activities is an assessment of the ratio of potential benefits to potential harms in any course of action—with a particular emphasis on “first do no harm.” Such decision-making involves asking ourselves three questions. First, what…
Pillars of Stigma & Recovery Storytelling
A central goal of public recovery self-disclosure is to challenge myths and misconceptions about addiction and recovery through the elements of our personal stories. Recovery advocates must avoid contributing to false narratives by having selective parts of our stories appropriated while ignoring the central recovery message. Addiction/treatment/recovery-related social stigma and its untoward consequences rests on…
Peer Supervision Tip Sheet
Supervision is a key component in providing peer recovery support services and should be a relationship that nurtures growth, honest skills, and addresses opportunities for growth that support recovery support core competencies.
Personal Privacy and Public Recovery Advocacy
A central strategy of the new recovery movement is sharing our stories in public and professional venues to change public perceptions and public policies related to addiction and recovery. Drawing from earlier social movements, we learned that “contact strategies”—increasing personal contact between marginalized and mainstream populations—is one of the most effective means of reducing stigma…
COVID-19 Risk for People in Addiction Recovery
Health and psychosocial risks associated with COVID-19 fall disproportionately on historically marginalized populations. I recently reviewed published studies on preliminary findings related to COVID-19 among people experiencing or recovering from substance use disorders (SUD). Major findings from this review are summarized below. *The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increase in substance use, SUD prevalence,…
Veterans in Recovery (A Landmark Study)
The problems men and women of the U.S. military experience upon re-entry to civilian life receive considerable research and media attention. Far less common is information on their resilience to and recovery from such challenges. It is in that context that a landmark study has just been published on the prevalence of recovery from alcohol…
The Ecology of Recovery Revisited
For more than two decades, advocates with lived experience of addiction recovery have tried to shift the conceptual center of the addictions field from a focus on addiction-related pathology and deficit-focused models of assessment and treatment to a focus on resilience and recovery. A less heralded effort has been to extend the intrapersonal focus on…