ABSTRACT
There exists a movement to adopt recovery as an organizing framework for addiction policies and services. Individuals in recovery from alcohol and drug problems participate in growing numbers as grassroots, community, and policy advocates and as paraprofessional and peer service providers. Adoption of recovery-oriented values and involvement of persons in recovery in the process provides many opportunities for social workers and other professionals: providing support for peer service delivery, grassroots advocacy, and facilitating policy and systems change in recovery-oriented system transformation. This chapter aims to do the following: (1) provide an understanding of addiction recovery as an organizing framework for addiction treatment services, systems, and policies; (2) increase understanding of social work (and other profession) roles in addressing addiction problems, and compare social work practices with addiction recovery values; (3) identify areas where social workers and other professionals can facilitate a recovery-oriented system of care, including fostering policy advocacy and promoting the engagement of peers as collaborators in addiction treatment settings; and (4) critically explore potential tensions and barriers in social workers’ contributions to recovery-oriented policy change.
