Redefining recovery is an ideological shift that challenges the existing views and broadens the scope of recovery beyond addiction as an isolated experience to include healing from mental health issues, trauma, substance use, and other life challenges.

This paradigm shift can disrupt and dismantle oppressive systems that create barriers to wellness for recovering individuals, and can mobilize people, organizations, and communities to amplify the needs and voices of those who have been historically silenced and excluded.

Redefining recovery honors Indigenous knowledge systems and healing wisdom that recognizes the interconnectedness of all things, while acknowledging that each individual’s recovery is unique, and sees recovery as a holistic experience that exists on both a spectrum and a continuum.

By redefining recovery we can co-create more early intervention and recovery strengthening opportunities within a recovery-oriented system of care. This collaborative approach can lead to revolutionary possibilities for people to practice personal agency in defining what recovery looks likefor them, and foster a new vision of recovery that is inclusive, equitable, and empowering for all.