| Summary: | Background The national alcohol and drug strategies signalled a shift in national policy on how treatment for alcohol and drug addiction should be conceptualised and ultimately operationalised within Scotland. The research to inform local practice however has primarily been conducted in America or drawn from the mental health recovery field in the United Kingdom. Aims The aim of this study was therefore to develop a coherent theory of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction in order to inform policy and practice and guide the local implementation of recovery orientated systems of care. Methods The study methodology was guided by constructivist grounded theory and was thus based on the lived experience of thirty-seven individuals in recovery from addiction and twenty one people who had experience of addiction within their family. All participants were recruited via theoretical sampling from within community based recovery groups, mutual aid fellowships (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon), staff working within treatment settings and the wider community. Findings The core category of recovery was identified as “Healing the Wounded Self” in the recognition that recovery from addiction was essentially a journey of personal and spiritual growth. This study demonstrates the relevance of our early years in the formation of our earliest memories of self-hood and how these can shape our life trajectory.
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