For decades, social and healthcare systems have been designed to respond to crises. Substance use. Hospitalization. Instability. When these events occur, systems activate. Services appear. Interventions are deployed. But what happens when SUD recovery works? What happens when someone lives 20, 30, even 40 years in recovery — and begins to age? This is where […]
Aging In Recovery: When Systems Dont Know What To Do Next Read Post »
Social work has historically balanced commitments to both individual care and collective reform. Over the last century, the field’s integration into health and behavioral-health systems has emphasized clinical treatment over social reform. This article argues for reclaiming macro-level systems innovation as central to contemporary social work. Drawing from the field’s historical foundations and emerging research,
Reclaiming the Breadth of Social Work Practice Read Post »
Recovery is often viewed as something achieved and maintained over time. However, this perspective overlooks an important reality: the conditions that support recovery change. The concept of recovery capital helps explain this. Recovery capital refers to the resources that support long-term stability—relationships, financial security, health, and access to services. These resources are not fixed. They
Why Recovery Doesn’t Stay the Same as We Age Read Post »
Social work did not begin as a clinical profession. It began as a reform movement focused on changing the conditions that produced poverty, inequality, and social distress. Early leaders understood that individual challenges were deeply connected to broader systems. Their work addressed both. Over time, however, the profession evolved. With the introduction of casework and
When Social Work Shifted Away from Systems Read Post »
This is a hypothetical case for educational purposes, developed by Gil Cintron, LMSW She entered recovery at 22. At the time, no one used the phrase long-term recovery. The goal was simpler, more immediate: stop using, stabilize, survive. She had been living on the margins—selling sex to support her addiction, moving between unstable housing situations,
Implications for Practice, Policy, and Lifespan Recovery Support Read Post »
The principle that “a drug is a drug” reflects a foundational concept within recovery frameworks, emphasizing that addiction is a disease process independent of specific substances. While this perspective supports unified approaches to recovery, it does not account for the distinct physiological effects associated with different substances over time. As increasing numbers of individuals enter
A Drug Is a Drug: in Long-Term Recovery Read Post »