Successful recovery is a journey through a process of change. This webinar will explore the process and identify how peer specialists and providers can intervene in helping individuals with substance use disorders negotiate that recovery journey. The first step involves understanding important tasks and critical activities involved in recovery. There is a common process underlying the many different changes involved in recovery. Moving to free oneself from an addictive behavior involves finding the motivation, decision-making, commitment, effective planning, and implementation to overcome this bio-behavioral condition. We will also examine the multidimensional nature of substance use behaviors. Significant use of substances affects the brain and the body, and takes over the life space of the individual. Although many clinicians would like to impose change on individuals and make them quit using, the individual user must make the journey through recovery using personal coping mechanisms, seeking support and “scaffolding” for their compromised self-regulation, and by re-centering their lives. Finally, we will explore how outreach and treatment connect to the personal recovery process of individuals trying to recover from addictions.
Funding for this initiative was made possible by grant no. 1H79TI083022 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
