Abstract
As recovery from substance use disorder becomes more than a mere quantifiable outcome, there exists a need to discuss and propose the underlying theoretical constructs that ultimately describe and identify the science of recovery. In this abstract undertaking, we propose an initial formulation of a grand theory of recovery science, built upon the seminal theories of recovery capital, recovery-oriented systems of care, and socioecological theory. This grand theory - labeled recovery-informed theory (RIT) - states that successful long-term recovery is self-evident and is a fundamentally emancipatory set of processes. This paper will discuss, analyze, and explore this theory as it is situated within the larger substance use, misuse, and disorder contexts. The uses, implications, and benefits of RIT as an organizing point of inquiry for recovery science are also discussed. By promoting the role of subjective recovery experience in the formulation of the study of recovery, it may be possible to summon new ideas, metrics, and strategies that can directly address substance use disorders in society. Adopting a recovery-informed understanding as follows from this grand theory may allow individual recovery and wellness trajectories to be explored, adapted, and modified to exemplify person-centered and individualized recovery strategies.
Highlights
Recovery science has been inseparable from the science of addiction
We propose an initial formulation of a grand theory of recovery science, built upon the seminal theories of recovery capital, recoveryoriented systems of care, and socioecological theory
As a new field of study, we propose recovery-informed theory (RIT) as the grand theory to guide future development and evolution of recovery science
Summary
Recovery science has been inseparable from the science of addiction. As there is often little room for personal experiences in the study of addiction pathology, it can be surmised that there has historically been a general “acting-upon” rather than “acting with” those with substance use disorders (SUD) or in recovery (Heron & Reason, 2006). Such systems would be reliant on community-based support and peer-driven initiatives, while at the same time stressing the importance of such things as mutual aid, which is one of the most influential and predictive variables of stable outcomes (Kelly, 2017; Kelly, Myers, & Brown, 2000; Laudet, Morgen, & White, 2006) Treatments such as SUD pharmacotherapies and other medicalized interventions would pose less of a threat to the status quo if the study of such interventions incorporated research by individuals who fully understood their usefulness, as well as their limitations within the context of lived experience and not just in terms of health outcomes. A vast amount of existing sociological knowledge can be brought into the conceptualization and measurement of the recovery-supportive nature of various ecologies and contexts
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