Substance use recovery: Global health perspectives and experiences

Addictive behavior treatment networks comprise harm-reduction services and recovery programs. Recovery is an approach toward interventions for addictive behavior that focuses on the individual’s empowerment, abilities, and life skills. Rehabilitation-oriented programs have evolved from traditional therapeutic communities to comprehensive services that are integrated into social and health networks and delivered by multidisciplinary professionals. This paper aims to analyze the development of recovery programs, drawing from quantitative and qualitative data from an action research approach. It also presents theoretical models and best practices for recovery. In summary, recovery-oriented programs must be integrated with harm-reduction networks, social and employment services, and health systems. Furthermore, as recovery is based on empowerment and peer social support, there is an urgent need to develop structured programs to address these issues. Moreover, there is a need to design and implement specific interventions for a broad range of populations and develop evaluation systems to assess the effectiveness and relevance of recovery-oriented programs.