A National Commitment to Recovery from the Disease of Addiction in Canada was created at Canada’s first National Summit on Addiction Recovery, hosted by CCSA in January 2015. The Summit brought together diverse stakeholders from the recovery community, including frontline service providers, researchers, addictions organizations and federal, provincial and territorial governments. The commitment puts forth a common vision and guiding principles for recovery from addiction and substance use disorders in Canada.
Vision
Recovery is real, available, attainable and sustainable.
Recovery is an ongoing journey free of stigma and discrimination.
Individuals, families, workplaces and communities are celebrated for their perseverance and commitment to recovery.
Recovery-focused services and supports are based on collaboration and partnership.
Principles
There are many pathways in recovery
Recovery requires collaboration
Recovery is a personal journey toward wellbeing
Recovery extends beyond the individual
Recovery is multidimensional
Recovery involves everyone
For information on how the principles of recovery can be implemented in practice, see
Moving Toward a Recovery-Oriented System of Care: A Resource for Service Providers and Decision Makers.
The National Recovery Advisory Committee
The National Recovery Advisory Committee was established following the National Summit on Addiction Recovery. The purpose of the committee is to guide the work of CCSA in promoting awareness of recovery from the disease of addiction in Canada based on evidence from research and experience in the recovery movement. The committee consists of ten leaders from across the recovery community with lived experience as well as expertise in recovery research.