The Recovery Voices project was developed by David Clark and Wulf Livingston in order to capture conversations about what works in supporting recovery from addiction, and in the development of peer-led recovery communities, from a range of individuals with lived experience, as well as friends of recovery. We highlight common messages and learning that comes from these messages.

We aim for this website to be an education and information resource for people working with, and supporting, recovering people and peer-led recovery communities, as well as for recovering people themselves.

We celebrate the lives and achievements of recovering people and peer-led recovery communities.

We believe that our Recovery Voices project is best understood be considering the Why?, What?, and How?

The Why?

We have been inspired by:

  • the courage and strength of people who have conquered addiction and turned their lives around, many of whom have gone on to help others overcome their problems and find recovery.
  • the compassion, empathy, gratitude, love and understanding that exists within peer-led recovery communities (PLRCs), and the  healing power that such communities generate.
  • the positive impact that recovering people and PLRCs can have on wider society, including being a source of inspiration and showing how people can overcome a wide range of adversities.

The What?

We know that recovering people and PLRCs:

  • show that recovery is possible, and how it is achieved via a multitude of different pathways;
  • illustrate the effectiveness of such communities, and how this success is achieved, in helping people overcome addiction and associated problems.
  • demonstrate the ways that PLRCs impact positively on wider society.

The How?

Our approach involves:

  • interviewing recovering people and friends of recovery, in particular those involved with PLRCs.
  • providing an information resource (Recovery Voices) of content focused on addiction recovery and related matters, as well as on the development and maintenance of PLRCs.
  • promoting the work and celebrating the achievements of recovering people and PLRCs, and encouraging the development of new PLRCs and the connection between PLRCs and other recovery initiatives.