Background

Since November 1997, the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) has emerged as a well-respected, highly visible and vibrant grassroots organization that includes persons in recovery and their family members, friends, and allies. Simply, we seek to "put a face on recovery". CCAR is an integral part of a new recovery movement that has come to life all across America. Recovering people constitute one of the largest and most invisible communities in America and they are beginning to again assert themselves as a teaching and healing force. The centerpiece of this movement is not the proclamation that "alcoholism is a disease" or that "treatment works", but instead it is the proclamation that "recovery is a reality" in the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals, families and communities.

As William White, a noted addictions historian and author of the book "Slaying the Dragon, The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America" writes, "Today, at the cultural and social policy level, there is considerable evidence that alcoholism and other addictions are being demedicalized, restigmatized, and recriminalized. The care of alcoholics and addicts in the public health arena is once again being shifted to the punishment and control of alcoholics and addicts in the criminal justice system. The true face of recovery is being lost as images of alcoholics and addicts are again being dehumanized, objectified, and demonized. On the professional front, many feel that the field of addiction treatment is in trouble-that treatment has become disengaged from its historical roots, detached from the larger and more enduring process of recovery, isolated from the communities out of which it was born, and divorced from significant breakthroughs in addiction science."

CCAR has made a long-term commitment to bridge the gap between the recovery community and the treatment community, funding agencies and policy makers. CCAR has recruited persons in recovery, their family members and friends; trained them; and provided them with opportunities to advocate on issues of importance to them and to the addiction field as a whole. Because CCAR members now stand in the gap--telling their stories and advocating for change-we believe that all those who are still sick and suffering will eventually have an opportunity to receive the help they need and to start their journeys of recovery. CCAR members' advocacy will result in positive changes in the addiction treatment systems and in the actions of policy makers and community members at the local, state, and national levels.

The CCAR membership has grown to over 2500 representatives supportive of recovery from addiction. Approximately 135 "core" members participate in CCAR by serving as Board or committee members, attending meetings, or taking an active role in education and advocacy activities. Data collected over the past year support the fact that we have been successful in recruiting a diversified membership. This data shows that individuals in recovery represent about 95% of our membership. Of our active membership, 58% Caucasian, 17% are African American, 11% Latino, and 14% other, 46% male and 54% female and the age range is from 23 to 74 with 46 years as the median. Another source of data is a survey developed by CCAR and the National Development and Research Institute (NDRI) in which 51 members participated. The results showed that 65% had been in formal addiction treatment and that the average number of treatment episodes was six. The average time in treatment was 208 days. 55% of respondents had been charged with a crime and 41% served time in jail. Today, 90% are active in a 12-Step program, the average length of abstinence is 12 years, 71% work full-time and 18% work part-time. 97% percent have a high school diploma, 26% hold college degrees and another 31% have postgraduate degrees.

CCAR's growth and accomplishments are grounded in our Vision and Mission Statements, which have remained unchanged since our members adopted them in early 1998. These statements serve as the umbrella under which we conduct all our program activities. Members have developed a sense of pride in and ownership of both statements and refer to them frequently as they participate in speaking engagements and meetings. Before CCAR was founded, there was little or no organized representation of the recovery community in the State of Connecticut. As we have grown, more and more individuals and organizations are responding positively to our initiatives and to the main theme of our work--to give a positive face and voice to recovery. Our message is being delivered by our members at our high-profile events, on television and radio, in newspapers and during speaking engagements. We are being asked frequently to participate in conferences, advisory meetings, and policy development sessions. To date, we have been very fortunate in having successfully organized, implemented and participated in several successful high-profile events as well as having developed several effective training programs that have begun to enhance the recovery of our members and improve community life.

Recovery Training Series

Overall, we have been impressed and enthused about the recovery community's response to our Recovery Training Series. We know our GPRA data supports our perception. A refreshing way to look at the Recovery Training Series, a peer recovery promotion service, is to think of it in terms of 'building recovery capital". Recovery Capital has been defined as the intrapersonal, interpersonal and community resources brought to bear on the initiation and maintenance of recovery. We have come to believe that CCAR is indeed, building recovery capital; people ARE learning; about themselves, about their relationships, about the community of which they are a part. Over the last three months of 2003 we have come to some conclusions.

The Healthy Relationship training, designed as an overview to provide some basic concepts, generates remarkable comments and the discussion is consistently honest, humorous, enthusiastic and at other times, serious. Participants leave with a good idea on the areas where they can improve and also with some resources if they feel they need some more focused professional assistance. The Religion and 12-Step training brings two perspectives together that otherwise would rarely associate. In an established safe environment, honest open discussions thrive and we have seen personal epiphanies over and over. These are also indicated in comments from attendees. By expanding people's concepts of recovery, by people demonstrating different pathways to sustained recovery, we are increasing awareness and acceptance while helping to reduce internal stigma. The Celebrating Recovery training reinforces these same concepts.

Recovery Community Centers

We are looking to this concept to be a recovery anchor in the community, a hope-filled nurturing environment where recovery thrives and a place from which to deliver Peer Recovery Support Services. It's a place for the recovery community to call their own where they define, develop and design service. It will be a safe, secure, stable place. It will be a recovery beacon in the community where people can access recovery resources. By being visible, the center will help reduce stigma associated with addiction and recovery and in turn will "soften" the community for those initiating recovery. We envision seeing a recovery center in all our towns that currently host a CCAR Chapter.

Family Support Groups

The first family support group was held in the new Windham Recovery Community Center on January 22, 2004. Members of the advisory group will participate along with family members from our Windham Chapter. Seven family members are interested in becoming facilitators and will attend a training on January 17, 2004 in preparation for the January 22, 2004 meeting. We are continuing to search for a meeting site for family support group planned for the Wethersfield area.

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