Substance use recovery / SUR-A17-1
Recovery Identity beyond Labels — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind recovery identity beyond labels and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Jordan wants to be seen as a parent and musician as well as a person in recovery.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A person is more than substance-use history or a treatment label.
The idea
A person is more than substance-use history or a treatment label.
An ordinary example
Jordan wants to be seen as a parent and musician as well as a person in recovery.
What this can look like
Create an identity map that includes roles, strengths, culture, interests, and desired relationships.
Check the fit
Which part of you needs more room in your current plan? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A return to use is information for reassessing care and support, not a verdict on personal worth.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- Which part of you needs more room in your current plan?
Conceptual background
Substance Use Disorders — National Institutes of Health
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.