Recovery Prevalence and Health Profile of People in Recovery: Results of a Southeastern Pennsylvania Survey on the Resolution of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems

Abstract

The emergence of recovery as an organizing construct for behavioral health public policy and the resulting push to increase the recovery orientation of addiction treatment have sparked renewed questions about the prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) remission/recovery within the general population. The present study reports findings on recovery-related questions imbedded within a public health survey conducted in Philadelphia and four adjacent counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The results reveal an adult recovery prevalence rate (9.4%) comparable to rates found in national surveys, but key measures of physical, emotional, and social health of adults in recovery suggest the need for assertive, sustained, and community-based approaches to recovery management that transcend brief episodes of professional intervention.