Championing Nonlinear Recovery
A guide for families and communities to help reimagine recovery not as a single event but a journey of whole-person wellbeing that changes and evolves over time.
Recovery is a journey of wellbeing.
It isn’t a single event or a lifetime sentence. It’s a wellness journey—one with forward steps, sideways steps, and steps back. Just like any other aspect of health, people learn, adjust, and grow along the way.
Communities often expect perfection from the moment someone asks for help. In reality progress happens in stages. People can try different supports, return to use, change direction, and still be moving toward wellbeing. Recovery isn’t failure-prone—it’s human.
At the same time setbacks and return to use can be frustrating, isolating or hurtful for families and leave them wondering if they did something wrong or failed their loved one. Families need support too.
“We are so desperate to have one size fits all… if that size doesn’t breed what we determine a success, we call it failure. That will undo us.”
Dr. Kima Joy Taylor
Reimagine Recovery: It’s Not Linear
Imagine a looping path instead of a straight line.
People may move through change, growth, setback, reflection, and renewal—and repeat that pattern many times.
When we expect perfection, we isolate people.
When we allow progress to be messy, we create hope.
Experimenting → Susbtance Use→ Harmful User→ Harm Reduction → Treatment → Wellness → Return to Use → Recovery → Wellness