Frequently Asked Questions: WHAT IS RECOVERY ADVOCACY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

What is a recovery ally?

A recovery ally is any person who uses their skills, talents and/or position to actively support people in recovery. It could be your grandmother, the barber down the street, or the president of the United States.

Why are recovery allies important?

Allies have access to resources, including money and power, that can be used to change the world for the people we love who are in or seeking recovery. Allies also can change the whispered negative conversations about people with addiction to open discussions of hope and promise.

What is recovery advocacy and why is it important?

Recovery advocacy means contributing to real change in our communities, states, and the nation so that people in recovery and their families can live meaningful lives. Usually, advocacy means changing laws, policies, regulations, and ordinances, but it also means changing our attitudes about substance use.

Why did you write this book?

I wrote Recovery Allies to fill a gap in our bookshelves on recovery. Someone needed to publish some real, solid information about addiction and recovery for allies, as well as some evidence-based strategies for supporting and celebrating people living in recovery. 

What is the main way Recovery Allies differs from other books about recovering from addictions?

Many books on recovery focus mostly on the dark days of addiction and contain very little about recovery. This book focuses on life in recovery. It’s also the first to approach our addiction crisis from a comprehensive community perspective.

What else sets your book apart?

Here are a few ways Recovery Allies is unique: 

1. Most recovery books are biographies about an individual's experience of addiction and recovery and how they overcame obstacles. This book focuses on what community members can do to create places where recovery can flourish.
2. This book acknowledges many paths to recovery.
3. Recovery Allies combines true stories of people in recovery with recovery research conveyed in reader-friendly ways to give readers concrete solutions to our addiction crisis. 

I’m interested in helping but don’t have time to read your whole book. What can I do?!

Readers in a hurry to do something can cut to the chase and go directly to the last part of most chapters, where I list concrete actions people can take to create recovery-friendly communities. 

What do you hope people gain from reading Recovery Allies? 

I want people to use this book as a blueprint for creating communities where people in recovery can pursue their dreams.