For someone who has spent much of the last 14 years peddling the idea of recovery capital as a key innovation, to have a major conference devoted exclusively to this topic is incredibly exciting. This is the third time I have attended the Recovery Capital Conference and its growth and impact have been extraordinary. 

It is an honour to be a part of something that has grown from a couple of academic papers and ideas to an international conference that is a global first for recovery capital. This is not only a huge source of pride but also reassurance that these ideas have resonance and purpose – not only infusing the recovery community with hope, but also translating to public policy and public finance.

The conference was particularly inspiring for me and my work in three different areas – research, practice and policy.

The science of recovery capital

The conference provided the opportunity to showcase how far the science has evolved in the last 25 years around measurement tools and their impact on outcome assessment. The transition from measuring the reduction in symptoms to the measurement of strengths represents a genuine paradigm shift in our understanding of what recovery is and how it impacts on multiple lives.

One of the key themes, particularly given the impressive indigenous people’s representation at the conference, was the increased focus on adaptation of measurement to include key indicators of cultural capital that are specific to the cultural and spiritual needs of indigenous groups and populations.

Another important theme was the recognition that women’s recovery journeys require innovative approaches. Women’s recovery journeys rest more on developing self-esteem and self-confidence and managing trauma and stigmatisation, particularly around children and families as a part of their recovery pathways.

The application and practice of recovery capital

My work on assessment and recovery planning tool REC-CAP has been developed by Last Door Recovery Society, an alcohol and drug addiction recovery centre, into My Recovery Plan, which will be a key part of implementing the recovery model in Alberta. However, there is a growing evidence base around the application of recovery capital measurement, not only in recovery specialist services, but also in front-line treatment services that is an important development of this work.

The policy landscape

By far the most striking part of the conference was the level of political and policy buy-in to the recovery model and approach. The model is based on the implementation of a Recovery-Oriented System of Care (ROSC). This is an idea that originates in the US and comes from work from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is about transforming entire helping systems and not just those that are focused on addiction treatment to a model built on hope and strengths.

The Alberta Recovery Model also includes creating the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CORE) to build the evidence and to disseminate it nationally and internationally. The level of investment and commitment politically means that Alberta will become the centre of the recovery world in the coming years and the focus for innovation and scientific testing and evaluation of recovery principles.

The Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith opened the conference, and the Ministers of Mental Health and Addiction from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario all took part in one of the closing roundtable sessions, indicative of the commitment to this approach.

Only time will tell how effective this model will be, but Alberta has created the conditions that maximise the chances of success. And it will continue to inspire my own efforts in this area in the UK, Europe and further afield.

David Best is a Professor of Addiction Recovery and the Director of the Centre for Addiction Recovery Research at Leeds Trinity University.