Population Health Research Brief Series

Drug overdose and alcohol-related deaths continue to rise in the United States. Despite the billions of dollars spent on drug and alcohol treatment annually, the U.S has failed to properly deal with addiction.

This brief discusses the concept of ‘recovery capital’ as an important theoretical advancement in the field of addiction treatment. It argues that health policies should promote personal, social, community and cultural capital to increase recovery success and measure an individual’s capacity to heal from a substance use disorder.