Visions Journal

  Building your recovery capital

Gregg Taylor

Reprinted from the Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The unseen reality of hidden homelessness issue of Visions Journal, 2024, 20 (1), pp.34-35

I remember the day as if it just happened. It was the worst day of my life—and also the best. I walked into the office and was led to a meeting room where the clinic doctor was waiting for me. “Welcome, Gregg,” he said, holding my assessment report. “Let’s go over this together.” I nodded, ready to listen.

He started reading. “Gregg, a thirty-two-year-old male, was referred by a friend who noticed his drinking was a problem. He admits to using alcohol to excess and that it leads to unwanted and risky behaviours.”

The report listed more details from the assessments of a social worker, a psychologist and the doctor. I was afraid, feeling vulnerable and wishing I could just run from the room. The report concluded, “It is quite clear that Gregg meets the criteria for substance dependence, showing compulsive drinking behaviour that continues despite negative effects, distancing from family and health risks.”

That was my wakeup call. I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I wasn’t just drinking too much now and then. I was an alcoholic, and I needed help to stop.

Where recovery starts

It wasn’t easy. There were nights of sweat and no sleep, and days of hanging on by my fingernails. But there were also the classes about addiction at the clinic, daily meetings with others like me, working through the 12 steps, therapy and a lot of support from friends. I was on the road to recovery.

It’s been 28 years since that day and I haven’t had a drink since. I was fortunate. For many, it takes several tries before recovery sticks.

Looking back at my journey, and in observing the clients I now support, I see common stages in the recovery journey:

1. Surviving life: This is about fighting through addiction, healing old wounds and learning to live responsibly.
2. Living life: Here, you find stability, start enjoying work and relationships and truly begin to enjoy life.
3. Creating life: This stage is about taking charge, building a life you love that goes beyond past limits.

What helped me move through these stages was something called recovery capital.1 This is all the resources and support we build up throughout our recovery journey. Recovery capital is what we gather—the key ingredients that help us stay sober, live well in our communities and lead fulfilling lives, including:

• Personal recovery capital: Your own skills, health, values and dreams; this means staying healthy, learning to handle your feelings and knowing yourself better
• Social recovery capital: Strong relationships and networks that provide love, support and encouragement; this includes family, friends and groups that understand what you’re going through
• Community recovery capital: Resources around you, like good health care, recovery programs, jobs and education; stable housing and a supportive community are also important
• Cultural recovery capital: The values and beliefs in your community (born into or chosen) that support a healthy lifestyle; this means belonging to groups and being in environments where people believe recovery is possible and support it

We all come into recovery with some existing recovery capital, but this will vary. Some of us come with more resources, some less. The good news is we can all start from where we are and build one new support or resource at a time.

I entered into recovery before losing my work, so I had some Social Capital, and I was already connected to a couple of supportive social groups for Community Capital. To be honest, the hardest for me was Personal Capital—my ability to manage my internal emotions. This was, and continues to be, an area of focus, learning to manage the emotions that arise from day-to-day life and old emotional patterns from the past. The recovery capital I built up over the years has greatly helped me stay sober and live well. I’ve created a life where the benefits of staying sober outweigh any temptations to go back.

A different care approach

Addiction and mental health care often focus on medical help. Doctors, tests and treatments are important, especially in crises and early recovery stages. But they're only part of the story. These systems can result in feeling as if you're not in charge of your own choices and responsible for your own long-term well-being.

Recovery-oriented care is different. It’s about supporting the whole life of someone in recovery. You can find this approach in formal programs, or it might be something you set up for yourself. This can include:

• Seeking support, whether from social workers, case managers or community programs that respect each person’s unique recovery journey; the path and tools for recovery can be different for different people
• Finding long-term supporters who recognize recovery as part of ongoing personal growth; this could include 12-step sponsors, a therapist or a recovery coach
• Accessing a variety of services to support every part of life, including work, housing and health (e.g., WorkBC, the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Housing)
• Empowering yourself to manage your own recovery as you grow in strength and stability; you might buy a journal or goal planner where you write down what you want for your future and your life, and the support you need
• Focusing on improving your whole quality of life, not just in the areas of addiction and mental health; be sure to have regular check-ins with your GP or clinic, access massage and other natural health services if possible and get yourself out of your day-to-day environment and into nature when you can

These kinds of support, communities and environments have helped me to do more than stay sober. They’ve allowed me to thrive and flourish.

Wherever you are in your journey, I wish you strength, hope, patience and faith that a better life is possible. And if you find yourself starting again after a relapse, remember: you’ve been building capital, whether you know it or not. You not starting “over,” you’re continuing on the path.

Whether dealing with addiction, mental health issues or past trauma, also remember: recovery is a journey, not a destination. And it’s a journey you don’t have to walk alone.