Editorial: Innovations in Recovery Science: Pathways, Policies, and Platforms that Promote Thriving After Addiction

Ashli J. Sheidow^1*Bettina B. Hoeppner^2,3Robert P. Pack⁴George Jay Unick⁵Kenneth Blum⁶

• ¹Chestnut Health Systems, Bloomington, United States
• ²Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Boston, United States
• ³Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
• ⁴East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, United States
• ⁵University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work, Baltimore, United States
• ⁶Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, United States

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. have a current substance use disorder (SUD; Jones et al., 2020;SAMHSA, 2025a), with hundreds of fatalities daily due to drug and alcohol use (CDC, n.d.;CDC's NCHS, 2024). The systems and services for addressing substance use conditions are fragmented, difficult to access, and insufficiently understood. Contrary to popular belief, however, over 70% of individuals with a history of substance use issues report recovering successfully (Jones et al., 2020;SAMHSA, 2025a). Recovery is not only possible, it is likely.Much remains to be learned about recovery processes and recovery support services.The individualized nature of recovery journeys has only nascent literature, limiting effective service development. For recovery support services, there is little research about their operation, network structures, payment methods, measurement criteria, workforce preparation, and more; in fact, a recent review of the recovery-supportive interventions literature from 2000-2023 showed only 25 studies (Sinclair et al., 2024). With 24 articles, this is the largest ever special issue on recovery science, showing the field's burgeoning research activity. It includes 17 original research papers, 3 highquality reviews, 3 conceptual analyses, and 1 case study that examine recovery as a dynamic process and present novel conceptual models, interventions, measurement strategies, system-level reforms, and community-centered approaches. Using the recovery support services categories of Day et al. (2025), 7 papers specifically focus on Recovery Community Centers (RCCs), 6 on Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS), 4 on recovery housing, and 1 on continuing care; not represented are employment services and educational settings. Beyond recovery services, 9 focus on recovery processes (some papers are in multiple categories). The 24 contributions cluster into themes representing key categories and topics in recovery science: 1. RCCs; 2. PRSS and Workforce; 3. Recovery Housing; 4. Recovery Processes and Identity; 5. Family and Special Populations; 6. Policy and Systems Innovation; and 7. Measurement and Assessment Innovations. RCCs play a central role in providing accessible, community-based recovery supports. Hoeppner et al. (2025a) examined the value of and barriers to linkages between opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and RCCs. RCCs' reach into diverse populations has been highlighted as a key asset (Hoeppner et al., 2024);DeCristofaro et al. (2025) expanded on this, examining if RCC implementation differed depending on the racial/ethnic composition of communities served, finding the RCC model to be robust. The daily experiences of RCC participants further illustrate the nuanced ways these centers shape recovery; Apsley et al. ( 2025) captured participant-reported helpfulness, meaningfulness, and recovery identity trajectories via a daily diary design, emphasizing how engagement at RCCs translates into personal recovery processes. Improving valid measurement for the impact of RCCs-necessary for effectiveness trials -Hoeppner et al. (2025b) sought input from RCC directors nationwide to build a consensus on outcome measures for future trials. Additional papers included a focus on the RCC setting, but are discussed within other themes (Castedo de Martell et al., 2025;Feld et al., 2025;Lancaster et al., 2025). PRSS are critical in both formal and informal recovery networks. Drazdowski et al. Psychological processes and identity play a pivotal role in sustaining recovery. Recovery experiences are majorly shaped by life stage, personal characteristics, and family involvement. Examining processes for special populations can be elucidating. Together, these works illustrate how macro-level policies, economic tools, and crosssystem innovations intersect with service delivery to enhance recovery outcomes at scale. Measurement and assessment advancements are important for recovery science to proceed, offering methods to quantify and understand recovery processes. While all of these are described above, they warrant mention under this theme. Hoeppner et al. supporting economic decision-making, but also did this using CBPR which is novel within economic research. These articles provide methodological advances that refine how recovery outcomes, service effectiveness, and economic considerations are assessed, enabling more actionable results. There are several noteworthy cross-cutting themes that reveal key insights. • Measurement and methods innovation: Innovative measurement approaches, including taxonomies, within-person or daily diary designs, and RCC-specific metrics, allow for a more precise understanding of recovery trajectories.Economic evaluation tools complement these methods, providing actionable data on cost-effectiveness and scalability. Together, they advance both the rigor and practical relevance of recovery research.• Integration and systems: Several contributions explore how recovery supports are embedded within broader systems of care. Outpatient treatment to RCC linkages, primary care Recovery Management Checkups, and federal coordination illustrate opportunities for integration across levels. Evaluations of system-level strategies also inform cost-effective approaches for scaling services nationally.• Sustainability and financing: Recovery housing and RCC programs require robust funding structures to maintain long-term viability. Studies highlight diverse funding streams, strategic partnerships, and economic evaluation strategies as mechanisms to support sustainability. Understanding these elements is essential for programs to continue serving communities effectively over time.• Recovery as social and identity processes: Recovery is not only a clinical outcome but also a social and identity-driven process. Research on psychological safety, dualistic models of passion, and recovery identity trajectories illuminates how personal and relational factors influence sustained recovery. Family and significant-other engagement further reinforces these processes. Despite the substantial contributions of the studies in this special issue, several critical challenges remain. The complexity of recovery trajectories, particularly across diverse populations, underscores the need for research attentive to social context and individual experiences. Recovery unfolds nonlinearly over time in response to life events, highlighting the need for flexible modeling approaches to capture these dynamics.Emerging adults represent a key population in this regard, as they exhibit the highest SUD rates (i.e., 7.8% of 12-17 year olds, 25.9% of 18-25 year olds, and 16.4% of adults over 25; SAMHSA, 2025b), yet remain underrepresented in recovery research. Notably, the special issue provides some of the first rigorous insights into how recovery supports can be tailored for emerging adults (e.g., Cioffi et al., 2025), highlighting opportunities and gaps. Individuals living in rural communities also experience unique barriers to accessing recovery support services, representing a population that warrants attention.A persistent challenge is ensuring recovery research is conducted with and led by individuals with lived experience. Incorporating experiential expertise into study design, implementation, and interpretation enables the field to identify meaningful solutions more quickly. Lived experience informs what outcomes matter most (e.g., Hibbard et al., 2025;Castedo de Martell et al., 2025), how services can be improved, and how structural and social barriers can be addressed in ways purely academic perspectives might overlook.Looking forward, the field must expand populations studied and scope of recovery supports examined. A critical need exists for research integrating peer recovery roles, housing, community-based programs, and measurement innovations, while also emphasizing equity, accessibility, and sustainability. Econometric and policy modeling approaches could be leveraged to forecast both desired and unintended consequences of interventions, supporting more informed decision-making.Translational pathways to practice are essential for maximizing the impact of research.Researchers, practitioners, peers, and community organizations must align to ensure that evidence-based recovery supports reach the intended populations. This requires not only dissemination of findings but also the development of practical toolkits, structured training programs, adaptable knowledge-sharing platforms, and incentive structures for uptake. Effective translation also entails ongoing feedback loops, where real-world implementation informs iterative improvements in interventions, training, and policies, ultimately enhancing reach and effectiveness across diverse contexts. This special issue marks an important inflection point in recovery science. The 24 contributions collectively suggest that thriving after addiction is not merely about symptom remission, but about supporting holistic, sustained recovery across social, psychological, and structural domains. The authorships also reflect the field's multidisciplinary and community focus, spanning researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and, most importantly, people who deliver and have received recovery support. We believe this is critical for recovery science and have made efforts to create a welcoming field for people with lived experience and varied perspectives (e.g., Cioffi et al., 2023;Hibbard, 2023). By combining rigorous methodology with the insights of individuals who have navigated recovery firsthand, and by attending carefully to translational and policy pathways, future research can accelerate the development of practical interventions that enhance recovery trajectories across the lifespan, particularly for high-risk, underserved, and rural populations.Centering equity, lived experience, and translational pathways ensures that recovery innovations reach practitioners, peers, and communities, supported by training, dissemination platforms, and appropriate incentive structures. Econometric and policy modeling may further help forecast both intended and unintended consequences, guiding scalable, sustainable approaches to recovery support.We hope this collection energizes ongoing inquiry, collaboration, and impact. The Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS), funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, exemplifies these efforts by advancing research networking, training and mentoring students and early-career scientists, and building community partnerships (https://www.recoveryanswers.org/coars-2/). Through initiatives such as the virtual National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science and the monthly CoARS Showcase Series, researchers and people with lived experience are connecting to improve recovery science in real time. We invite interested readers to engage with these opportunities to contribute to this growing, collaborative field. If you would like to join the free virtual Showcase Series or learn about other opportunities, please reach out to the contact author (Ashli Sheidow).Research in recovery support services promises exciting developments and a brighter future for individuals in recovery, their families, and communities. By continuing to integrate scientific innovation with lived expertise and translational pathways, the field can build a stronger, more equitable, and impactful recovery ecosystem for all.