Peer Recovery Support can fill the gap that often exists in both formal and informal addiction treatment. Individuals with SUD learn to focus on recovery first and strive to rebuild and redefine their view of community and life.
The unique perspective and ability to empathize with those in treatment for substance use disorder is one of the main reasons that this type of support is so powerful and why it works.
Peer providers also often offer many non-clinical roles that might help support recovery activities, including but not limited to abstinence or reduced substance use, and may be an undervalued and underutilized resource that could be better used to help both the recovery supporter and the individual who is in treatment.
IN CONTEXT
These peer providers are becoming an increasingly important part of the treatment and recovery continuum, and could also help create an environment and community where recovery is supported and individuals are working towards a better community.
However, it is important for additional studies, randomized controlled trials and effectiveness trials, in particular, to be performed since the available data cannot be disaggregated in order to determine the causal connections between peer involvement and better outcomes and quality of life. Without more rigorous research of this kind that can provide more accurate estimates of the effects and mechanisms of peer support models, the potential value of peer support models may be undervalued and not widely adopted and implemented.
