The Recovery Pathway

Welcome to the Recovery Pathway, where you will learn about the processes involved in recovering from addiction. Recovery is not linear, so you can click through the Pathway in any order.

Instructions:

• Click on each button below to learn more
• Read the pop-up
• Close pop-up and click the next button in any order

Drug Use and Abuse

There are many reasons why people use drugs. For some people, drug use will remain at low levels. For other people, use will increase until it could be called abuse or misuse.

For various reasons, people may increase or decrease their drug use, and move up and down the pathway.

Drug Dependence

Dependence is when alcohol or other drugs cause physical and psychological changes in a person. This leads to them spending a lot of time thinking about, obtaining and using alcohol or other drugs, and recovering from the effects.

Relapse

Because drug dependence is a compulsive behaviour, relapse and setbacks are common. Relapse is depicted only at the beginning of the pathway, but can occur at any time.

Physical and Psychological

Dependence has physical and psychosocial elements, both of which need to be addressed for recovery to occur. People will differ in the rate of recovery and in the types of interventions they require, and their needs will change as they recover from addiction.

Recovery

Recovery is not just about abstinence, though it may be a long-term goal. Recovery for the individual means achieving the highest level of autonomy of which they are capable.

Brief Intervention

Brief interventions provide information about alcohol and drug use. The emphasis is on increasing a person’s awareness of the risks and negative aspects of drug use. The aim is to motivate them to reduce or stop use, or to consider treatment.

Managed Withdrawal

Interventions to manage withdrawal ensure that the physical process for eliminating a drug of dependence can be completed with safety and comfort. Relapse to drug use is extremely common, unless managed withdrawal is followed by an appropriate rehabilitation program.

Relapse Prevention

Relapse prevention interventions help people recognise cues and risk factors for drug use, and develop strategies to resist drug use. Relapse prevention may be supported by the use of medications to control cravings, block euphoric effects, or cause aversive effects when combined with the drug of dependence.

Living Skills Development

Some people may need to develop living skills to support their reintegration into the community. People who are more severely affected by substance use, criminal activity and social disadvantage are most likely to need living skills development. Residential settings are often used to provide a safe environment for living skills development to help them to reconnect.

Support

Support entails linking people to services for practical needs (housing, employment, financial management) and reestablishing relationships (family issues, building networks unrelated to drug use). Support may come from mutual-support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, family members or service organisations.

Substitution Treatment

Substitution treatment involves prescription of medication that is similar to the drug of dependence, but with less risk of harm. Substitution treatment is delivered in conjunction with psychosocial support. This allows the individual to address underlying psychological issues with the physical dimension of dependence being addressed when they are psychologically ready.