An event on Wednesday 6th July 2016 aims to bring people with lived experience who give of their own time in supporting others to initiate and sustain recovery from alcohol and/or substance dependency and misuse. With a particular focus on volunteering with Peer Based Recovery Organisations, the event will provide an opportunity to share experience and learning from across the country.

Stuart Honor speaks about ‘Credibility – making the case for peer to peer work‘ and references the following articles which you may find of use:

Recovery-oriented policy and care systems in the UK and USA

Abstract
The concept of recovery has been an influence on addicted individuals for many decades. But only in the past 15 years has the concept had a purchase in the world of public policy. In the USA, federal and state officials have promulgated policies intended to foster ‘recovery-oriented systems of care’ and have ratified recovery-supportive laws and regulations. Though of more recent vintage and therefore less developed, recovery policy initiatives are also being implemented in the UK. The present paper describes recovery-oriented policy in both countries and highlights key evaluations of the recovery-oriented interventions.

Humphreys and Lembke 2014 recov orientated policy UK and US

Broadening the Base of Addiction Mutual-Help Organizations

Abstract
Peer-led mutual-help organizations addressing substance use disorder (SUD) and related problems have had a long history in the United States. The modern epoch of addiction mutual help began in the postprohibition era of the 1930s with the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Growing from 2 members to 2 million members, AA’s reach and influence has drawn much public health attention as well as increasingly rigorous scientific investigation into its benefits and mechanisms. In turn, AA’s growth and success have spurred the development of myriad additional mutual-help organizations. These alternatives may confer similar benefits to those found in studies of AA but have received only peripheral attention. Due to the prodigious economic, social, and medical burden attributable to substance-related problems and the diverse experiences and preferences of those attempting to recover from SUD, there is potentially immense value in societies maintaining and supporting the growth of a diverse array of mutual-help options. This article presents a concise overview of the origins, size, and state of the science on several of the largest of these alternative additional mutual-help organizations in an attempt to raise further awareness and help broaden the base of addiction mutual help.

 Kelly and White 2012 broadening the base of MHelp Orgs

Addiction Recovery in Services and Policy: An International Overview

Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the sweeping changes occurring in the addiction field in the United States and abroad, with special emphasis on the growing focus on recovery as the goal of services and the guiding vision of drug policy. “Recovery” goes well beyond substance use patterns to encompass improved functioning in life areas impaired by active substance use, as well as improved overall quality of life. Because research shows that substance use disorders are often chronic, recovery is conceptualized as a process that unfolds over time and requires a continuing care approach. We describe emerging service models including Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) and peer-driven recovery supports and review the implications of this new orientation for service providers and evaluation research. We conclude with some recommendations on strategies that medical professionals can use to promote recovery among substance using patients.

 International Textbook of Addiction Treatment

Research For Recovery: A Review of the Drugs Evidence Base

Background
The publication of The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland’s Drug Problem by the Scottish Government in 2008 signalled a fundamental shift in the way we think of problem drug use and in the approach to the types of interventions that are appropriate to address it. In particular, the switch to a recovery model represented the recognition that the resolution of addiction problems involves not only the drug user, but also their families and communities. It also recognises that recovery is a complex process likely to endure over a number of years after the point of stabilisation or abstinence, and that it is likely to involve fundamental changes in an individual’s social functioning and personal wellbeing, as well as in their place in their community and wider society. The aim of this review was to assess the current state of the evidence base that will help underpin the delivery of the Scottish Government’s drugs strategy – The Road to Recovery. The review examined both the published research base and also the policy context in which the strategy sits, – this provides the link between the evidence base on addictions and the wider context of social inclusion, public health and economic development.

 scottish government – evidence review