The meanings of recovery from addiction: evolution and promises.
El-Guebaly N. Journal of Addiction Medicine: 2012, 6(1), p 1–9.

What is 'recovery' and what does it mean for the roles of treatment and of doctors? This analysis based on the last ten years' writings on the subject draws a parallel with mental health, where recovery in terms of a meaningful and self-directed life is reserved for persisting severe illness resistant to 'cure' via treatment.

Summary
This literature review focuses on the history, definitions, and forms of 'recovery' from addiction, its nature and time course, and the implications for managing substance use disorders. The reviewer searched the English-language peer-reviewed literature of the past ten years using the key words "recovery from addiction" and followed up references in retrieved papers.