What is recovery? Revisiting the Betty Ford Institute consensus panel definition

摘要

To the Editor,There are unknown but very large number of individuals who have experienced and successfully resolved dependence on alcohol or other drugs; referring to their new sober, productive lifestyle as being "in recovery." Although widely used, the lack of a standard definition for the term "recovery" has hindered public understanding of, and research involvement in the topic. Better public understanding might foster greater interest in and greater availability of recovery-oriented interventions. Increased research involvement might lead to more effective forms of those interventions. With these goals in mind, a group of researchers, treatment providers, recovery advocates, and policy-makers was convened by the Betty Ford Institute (BFI) in September 2006 to develop an initial definition of recovery as a starting point for better communication, research, and public discussion and understanding.