For decades, the goal in addiction treatment has been clear: help people get clean, stabilize their lives, and sustain recovery. And for many, that goal has been achieved. But now we are facing a new reality. A growing number of individuals who entered recovery in the 1980s and 1990s are aging into their 60s, 70s, […]
Aging in Long-Term Recovery: A System We Never Built 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 »
A growing number of individuals are entering older adulthood after decades of sustained recovery. Yet the systems designed to support aging populations were never built with this group in mind. Aging services focus on physical decline, chronic illness, and functional support. Behavioral health systems, by contrast, tend to focus on early recovery and treatment. What
Aging in Recovery The System Gap Hiding in Plain Sight Read Post »