These recovery road maps have been created with Harbour Ayrshire and individuals with experience of recovery from alcohol or drug use or whose lives have been affected by someone else’s recovery.
The maps capture what recovery could be like for different people. They share peoples’ thoughts, feelings and experiences, and highlight the things that helped people in their recovery.
The maps show how a person’s strengths, support from others and helpful resources can grow over time. They also show times when life can feel harder and people may need extra help.
The purpose of these maps is to show how relationships, services, community support and personal achievements (known as Recovery Capital) can help someone in their recovery. They help us understand not only what happened, but also why certain moments made a difference. This helps us create better drug and alcohol support services that build, protect and strengthen Recovery Capital for everyone.
Please send us an email at his.alcoholanddrugs@nhs.scot if you:
- have a question about our programme or resources
- would like to speak to a member of our team about our work
For individuals and families seeking recovery
People told us that completing these maps helped them to see how far they had come in their recovery. It reminded them of the support, strengths and achievements they had gained along the way. We hope these maps give hope to people and families by showing that recovery is possible and that everyone’s journey can look different.
For treatment professionals and treatment system
These maps can help staff better understand how people feel during their recovery. They can help start important conversations with individuals and families.
The maps highlight important moments, challenges and barriers, such as stigma, as well as the things that help recovery succeed. They can also help professionals remember that recovery is not always a straight path and that everyone’s experience is different.
For policy makers and service designers
These maps show what treatment and support services are really like for people and families over time. They highlight challenges people face, as well as the things that help recovery happen.
Decision-makers can use this information to plan services, set priorities and invest in support that makes the biggest difference.
Service designers can use the maps to improve how services work, make them easier to access and ensure they are built around people’s needs. The maps also encourage services to work closely with people who have lived experience so that support is designed with them, not just for them. They can also help measure important recovery outcomes such as hope, stability and having a sense of purpose.