Recovery Outcomes Institute

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Our mission is to promote scientific research and successful implementation of a strengths-based recovery capital assessment and planning instrument known as the “REC CAP” in clinical and peer settings by trained Peer Navigators who mentor, monitor and measure participant development of recovery management skills and community engagement to facilitate social identity migration from active use to pro-social networks.

For so long many of us assumed recovery was primarily about stopping substance use- that if someone could just maintain ...
09/01/2026

For so long many of us assumed recovery was primarily about stopping substance use- that if someone could just maintain abstinence long enough, everything else would follow. But I kept meeting people who had stopped using yet didn't seem to be thriving, and others who described profound internal shifts that went far beyond sobriety. Something deeper was happening, and I didn't have language for it.

The CHIME framework gave me that language.
In 2011, Leamy and colleagues published a systematic review and narrative synthesis of personal recovery literature for mental health recovery, analyzing 97 papers to identify the key processes that characterize recovery. Their modified narrative synthesis identified five interconnected processes, which they organized into the acronym CHIME: Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning, and Empowerment.

While the CHIME framework emerged primarily from mental health recovery research, subsequent work has demonstrated its applicability to addiction recovery. The framework offers a lens for understanding not just whether someone is in recovery, but how recovery is progressing at a psychological and relational level.

Before we move on in our Recovery Capital Training 101 mini-series, one more concept that's essential for understanding...
08/28/2026

Before we move on in our Recovery Capital Training 101 mini-series, one more concept that's essential for understanding why this framework is so powerful. This is a crucial insight. Financial capital is depleted when spent. But social capital, trust, hope- these grow through use. This creates virtuous cycles. Trust begets trust. Hope spreads. Connection deepens connection. Recovery capital doesn't just sustain recovery- it generates more of itself. This is why community-based recovery works. This is why peer support is so powerful. The more we use these resources, the more we create and build.

The Social Identity Model Of Recovery (SIMOR), developed by David Best and colleagues, extends our understanding of iden...
08/27/2026

The Social Identity Model Of Recovery (SIMOR), developed by David Best and colleagues, extends our understanding of identity in recovery by focusing specifically on social group membership and identity transition.

SIMOR proposes that recovery involves transitioning from social networks where substance use is normative to networks where recovery is normative. This isn't merely about changing who you spend time with- it involves a shift in social identity, in how you see yourself in relation to groups.

The model identifies several key mechanisms. First, group membership provides belonging and connection, addressing the social isolation that often characterizes addiction. Second, groups provide norms and expectations that shape behavior- being part of a recovery community creates positive social pressure toward recovery-supporting behaviors. Third, group membership contributes to identity- "I am a person in recovery" becomes part of how someone defines themselves.

Research by Best and colleagues has demonstrated that increases in recovery group identification predict improvements in recovery capital and wellbeing. The relationship appears to work in both directions: joining recovery groups strengthens recovery identity, and strengthening recovery identity increases engagement with recovery groups

As we discussed in a previous post, the concept of recovery capital was introduced by Granfield and Cloud in 1999 and fu...
08/27/2026

As we discussed in a previous post, the concept of recovery capital was introduced by Granfield and Cloud in 1999 and further developed by White and Cloud in 2008. The framework provided a compelling alternative to deficit-focused assessment, but for years, it remained primarily theoretical.

Clinicians and researchers recognized its value, yet lacked standardized tools to operationalize the concept.

This gap between concept and measurement was significant. Without reliable instruments, recovery capital remained difficult to assess systematically, track over time, or compare across individuals and programs. The field needed tools that could translate theoretical domains into practical measurement.

Several requirements guided instrument development. Tools needed to be psychometrically sound- demonstrating reliability and validity through rigorous testing. They needed to be practical- brief enough for clinical use while comprehensive enough to capture the construct meaningfully. And they needed to be accessible- usable not just by researchers but also by peer specialists and recovery coaches.

The development of validated assessment instruments over the past decade has addressed these needs, creating options for different contexts and purposes.

It's worth noting that this positive/negative framing, while useful, can oversimplify complex realities. A relationship ...
08/24/2026

It's worth noting that this positive/negative framing, while useful, can oversimplify complex realities. A relationship might be simultaneously supportive in some ways and harmful in others. Criminal justice involvement creates barriers but may also, in some cases, provide structure or access to treatment. The categories are useful guides, not rigid boxes.

What the research consistently shows is that acute barriers often must be addressed before strengths can be effectively built. It's difficult to develop self-efficacy or engage with community resources while facing housing instability. This sequencing (address barriers, then build strengths) informs how we approach recovery care planning.

The community context profoundly shapes what's possible and is often the most unequally distributed. Someone in a resour...
08/23/2026

The community context profoundly shapes what's possible and is often the most unequally distributed. Someone in a resource-rich community with robust recovery support services, reliable and accessible transportation, employment opportunities, and safe housing options has a fundamentally different recovery landscape than someone in a community lacking these resources.

The GOYA studies (Birmingham and Glasgow, UK) looked at what actually predicts recovery wellbeing.The #1 predictor of b...
08/17/2026

The GOYA studies (Birmingham and Glasgow, UK) looked at what actually predicts recovery wellbeing.

The #1 predictor of better recovery wellbeing: More time spent with other people in recovery.

The second predictor- more time in the last week spent:
• Childcare
• Engaging in community groups
• Volunteering
• Education or training
• Employment

Notice what these have in common: they're all forms of meaningful activity that connect people to others and to purpose. They're the social infrastructure of a life in recovery.

GOYA Studies - Best et al, 2011

In practice, we believe personal capital often grows as a result of recovery rather than being its prerequisite. Someone...
08/17/2026

In practice, we believe personal capital often grows as a result of recovery rather than being its prerequisite. Someone may begin with limited self-efficacy, but each small success builds it.

Recovery capital isn't one thing- it's three.Personal: what a person carries with them. Health, skills, hope.Social: wha...
08/14/2026

Recovery capital isn't one thing- it's three.

Personal: what a person carries with them. Health, skills, hope.

Social: what their relationships give them. Belonging, support, identity.

Community: what's actually available where they live. Housing, work, treatment, transportation.

More on each one over the next few posts.

Recovery capital isn't our idea.It came from studying people who got better without formal treatment.In 1999, sociologis...
08/14/2026

Recovery capital isn't our idea.

It came from studying people who got better without formal treatment.
In 1999, sociologists Robert Granfield and William Cloud published Coming Clean: Overcoming Addiction Without Treatment- a study of people who had resolved serious substance use problems outside formal care.

The interesting question wasn't that it happened. It was why. And the easy explanations didn't hold up: not exceptional willpower, not somehow milder addictions.
What Granfield and Cloud found were resources. The people who improved had more to draw on- internal and external, personal and social. Borrowing from the sociology of social capital, they gave it a name: recovery capital.

Twenty-seven years on, it's the foundation under the assessment instruments we use every day. We didn't invent it. We measure it. We monitor it. We engage it.

For those interested here is a link to their book- Coming Clean: Overcoming Addiction Without Treatment: https://amzn.to/4phzXDi

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Boynton Beach, FL
33424

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+15614451730

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