Page 77 - GHES-3-1

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
Substance use recovery: Global health

perspectives and experiences

1
Antonio Jesús Molina-Fernández * and Irene María Arribas-Tiemblo 1
Department of Social, Work and Differential Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid,
Spain

Abstract
Addictive behavior treatment networks comprise harm-reduction services and
recovery programs. Recovery is an approach toward interventions for addictive
behavior that focuses on the individual’s empowerment, abilities, and life skills.
Rehabilitation-oriented programs have evolved from traditional therapeutic
communities to comprehensive services that are integrated into social and health
networks and delivered by multidisciplinary professionals. This paper aims to analyze
the development of recovery programs, drawing from quantitative and qualitative
data from an action research approach. It also presents theoretical models and best
practices for recovery. In summary, recovery-oriented programs must be integrated
with harm-reduction networks, social and employment services, and health systems.
Academic editor: Furthermore, as recovery is based on empowerment and peer social support, there
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE is an urgent need to develop structured programs to address these issues. Moreover,
*Corresponding author: there is a need to design and implement specific interventions for a broad range
Antonio Jesús Molina Fernández of populations and develop evaluation systems to assess the effectiveness and
(antmolin@ucm.es) relevance of recovery-oriented programs.
Citation: Molina-Fernández, A.J.
& Arribas-Tiemblo, I.M. (2025).
Substance use recovery: Keywords: Addictive behaviors; Recovery; Treatment network
Global health perspectives and
experiences. Global Health Econ
Sustain, 3(1):69-75.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3243
Received: March 22, 2024 1. Introduction
Revised: May 22, 2024 Since the 1970s, the labels “addict,” “drug addict,” or “junkie” have been linked to
individuals who consume opiates intravenously. This association is linked to other
Accepted: June 14, 2024 stereotypes that, in turn, amplify the stigma these individuals experience, such as HIV,
Published online: October 18, mental health problems, and crime. This identification makes it extremely difficult to
2024 access profiles of people with addiction problems, such as women, young cannabis
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). users, cocaine users who maintain functional capacities, and other at-risk individuals
This is an Open-Access article (European Monitoring Center for Drug Dependence and Addiction [EMCDDA], 2017).
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Individuals with an addictive disorder, often regardless of substance or problem
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, behavior, are typically linked, in a stereotypical manner, to violence, drug trafficking,
provided the original work is and prostitution (especially with female users in the case of the latter). In addition, these
properly cited. individuals are often labeled as being responsible for their problems, which are associated
Publisher’s Note: AccScience with the concept of “vice” and a lack of willpower, overlooking the fact that addiction
Publishing remains neutral with is a health issue (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1997; United Nations Office for
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2012). The consequences of these stigmas include poor
affiliations. adherence to treatment and frequent abandonment initiation of treatment by individuals

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 69 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3243