“Recovery” from addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a human experience as old as the human race itself. However, it was not until the past decade that federal agencies, policy makers, service providers, and clinicians have begun considering recovery as a desirable outcome that is gradually supplanting mere reductions in drug and alcohol use as the goal of addiction treatment services. This shift in emphasis was in no small part spearheaded by a growing grassroots movement of persons in recovery, a community recently estimated at over 23.5 million adults in the United States i.e., 10% of U.S. adults, their families, friends, and allies. In spite of this number, little is known about the recovery experience as research on this population, often hidden in plain sight, remains in its infancy. With full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in sight, and given its emphasis on health and wellness, services and supports that make it possible for people to sustain their recovery for the long term are of growing importance.

As a first step to documenting the benefits of recovery to the individual and to the US nation, Faces & Voices of Recovery (Faces & Voices) conducted the first nationwide survey of persons in recovery from alcohol and other drug problems. The online survey, conducted in English and Spanish between November 1 and December 31, 2012, collected information on participants’ socio-demographics, physical/mental health, substance use, and recovery history, and 44 items representing experiences and indices of functioning in work, finances, legal, family, social, and citizenship domains; the items were asked for both “in active addiction” and “since you entered recovery.” A total of 3,228 surveys were completed1. Respondents represented a broad range of individual characteristics and recovery durations