Recovery

The 2008 National Drug Strategy states that, “The goal of all treatment is for drug users to achieve abstinence from their drug – or drugs – of dependency”.

In the past there was quite rightly an emphasis on getting people into treatment to reduce the harms that drug and alcohol cause to individuals families and communities. Drug and Alcohol Action Teams became very good at getting people into treatment and helping them to maintain that treatment. However, some people became 'stuck' in their treatment and were not progressing towards recovery, so that they could lead full lives in their families and communities and take part in education volunteering and employment.

Recovery is now at the centre of our work in commissioning treatment services, engaging with service users and providing opportunities for reintegration. Treatment is an important part of recovery but there are many other ingredients needed for successful and sustainable recovery from drug and alcohol misuse. There is robust evidence that taking part in meaningful activities is a positive influence on recovery. In short – boredom is the enemy of recovery!

Worcestershire County Council is working in partnership with other agencies to create a menu of Recovery Opportunities for services users

Service Users and their families can also have a substantial influence on recovery, so Worcestershire County Council & Pathways to Recovery (the integrated drug and alcohol treatment service) are working to ensure that this potential is accessed wherever possible. See our Recovery Café, Peer Mentoring and Service User Engagement pages for more information about what is happening locally.

Mutual Aid (self-help and peer support) groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery and Narcotics Anonymous can also be an excellent recovery resource for many people.

This page was last reviewed 9 May 2013 at 12:09.
The page is next due for review 5 November 2014.