Recovery Allies: How to Support Addiction Recovery and Build Recovery-Friendly Communities

Room – Bannerman Walker Room – 1:30 pm to 3:00. February 22nd, 2023, Hyatt Regency Centre, Calgary Alberta

Speaker Dr. Alison Jones Webb

Session Description

Family members, friends, neighbors, professionals, and other community members outside the addiction and recovery support services field play a critical role as allies in supporting recovery. Research shows that creating a meaningful life in recovery requires access to healthcare, safe and affordable housing, educational opportunities that may have been missed during periods of drug use, and employment that allows people in recovery to support themselves and their families and contribute to society.

Recovery capital refers to the resources, both internal and external, that an individual can draw upon in order to overcome substance use and maintain recovery. Building recovery capital throughout the recovery-oriented system of care is an important aspect of addressing substance use and promoting long-term recovery.

The session will begin with a presentation on the recovery ecosystem and recovery capital and will then identify real-world examples of ways allies in communities have supported recovery by changing the community environment and creating opportunities to boost recovery capital. We will explore specific strategies for building recovery capital within community sectors, such as social support networks, law enforcement, education and employment, and healthcare. The session will include a discussion of practical, inventive tools, based on recent research, for community members, employers, and professionals in the various sectors to build and increase recovery capital.

This presentation will be of interest to community leaders, service providers, policymakers, and anyone interested in using the resources and networks of allies to address substance use and promote recovery within their community.

Learning Objective

To learn about the concepts of personal, social, and community recovery capital; identify at least three strategies to engage allies to increase recovery capital at each stage of recovery.
To learn about the role of recovery capital in supporting multiple pathways of recovery; identify at least three strategies to engage allies to increase recovery capital for people pursuing different pathways.
To learn about specific strategies for building recovery capital within community sectors such as social support networks, education and employment opportunities, and access to healthcare; identify at least three strategies to engage allies to build recovery capital within each sector.

References

Ashford, Robert D., Austin M. Brown, Rachel Ryding, and Brenda Curtis. “Building recovery ready communities: The recovery ready ecosystem model and community framework.” Addiction Research & Theory 28, no. 1 (2020): 1-11.
Best, David, and Stephanie de Alwis. “Community Recovery as a Public Health Intervention: The Contagion of Hope.” Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 35, no. 3 (2017): 187-199.
Hennessy, Emily A. “Recovery Capital: A Systematic Review of the Literature.” Addiction Research & Theory 25, no. 5 (2017): 349-360.
Kelly, John F., Brandon Bergman, Bettina B. Hoeppner, Corrie Vilsaint, and William L. White. “Prevalence and Pathways of Recovery from Drug and Alcohol Problems in the United States Population: Implications for Practice, Research, and Policy.” Drug And Alcohol Dependence 181 (2017): 162-169.
Laudet, Alexandre B., and William L. White. “Recovery Capital as Prospective Predictor of Sustained Recovery, Life Satisfaction, and Stress Among Former Poly-Substance Users.” Substance Use & Misuse 43, no. 1 (2008): 27-54

Bio

Author and public health specialist Alison Jones Webb of Charlottesville, Va., is a passionate advocate for people in recovery from addictions. She has written extensively about issues related to recovery from addiction and harm reduction. Her book, Recovery Allies: How to Support Addiction Recovery and Build Recovery-Friendly Communities (North Atlantic Books), lays out practical ways that communities can help support people in recovery and why this is so vitally important. Via in-depth interviews with people in recovery from around the country and a wealth of information from leading researchers, experts, and advocates, Webb shows readers that there is real hope for people with addictions and that we all have an important role in helping to support and sustain their recoveries.
Webb has developed practical, inventive tools, based on recent research, for community members, employers, and professionals in sectors like law enforcement, education, and healthcare to develop and increase recovery capital.
Webb, who holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of New England and a master’s degree in economic history from The Johns Hopkins University, is a certified prevention specialist, trained recovery coach, Recovery Ambassador with Faces and Voices of Recovery, and a member of the Virginia Recovery Advocacy Project (a part of the National Recovery Advocacy Project’s network of grassroots activists). She is president of the Maine Association of Recovery Residences, where she participated in the development of an innovative overdose prevention program for recovery houses, and she is an active volunteer in numerous other recovery-related efforts.
Webb also has more than 20 years of experience in public speaking, policy development, and advocacy; data-driven decision-making; nonprofit strategic planning; community outreach and organizing; and linking community members with healthcare.