Nonclinical Addiction Recovery Support Services: History, Rationale, Models, Potentials, and Pitfalls

For more than 150 years, the transition from intractable addiction to stable recovery has often involved two quite different worlds: (1) professionally directed addiction treatment aimed at bio-psychosocial stabilization and recovery initiation, and (2) recovery mutual aid that has served as a medium of recovery initiation/stabilization and long-term recovery maintenance. A third sphere, nonclinical recovery support services, is rapidly emerging as a portal of entry into and a bridge between these two worlds. This article identifies factors related to the rapid growth of peer-based recovery support services, describes the organizational contexts in which they are being imbedded, outlines the variations in how the roles of recovery support specialists are being defined, and discusses the potentials and possible pitfalls of such services.