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Defining recovery

Everyone’s recovery is a journey that can have a range of outcomes, rather than being an outcome in itself.

Each person’s recovery is individual to them and is related to their community and society, as well as their
aspirations. Recovery will:

• Be different for each individual
• Involve changes in multiple areas, not just in substance use
• Involve other people and communities.

The broad range of possible outcomes that can be achieved along the recovery journey include:

• Adopting less risky behaviour
• Stabilising misuse
• Reducing use
• Increasing ‘recovery capital’
• Achieving and maintaining abstinence
• Improving physical, mental and psychological health
• Improving social functioning
• Improving economic wellbeing
• Reducing / ceasing offending and anti-social behaviour
• Becoming positively engaged in the wider community.