Specifications include, but are not limited to: Community-Based Recovery Housing Services a) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) official definition of recovery housing is described below: Recovery houses are safe, healthy, family-like substancefree living environments that support individuals in recovery from addiction. While recovery residences vary widely in structure, all are centered on peer support and a connection to services that promote long-term recovery. Recovery housing benefits individuals in recovery by reinforcing a substance-free lifestyle and providing direct connections to other peers in recovery, mutual support groups and recovery support services. Substance-free does not prohibit prescribed medications taken as directed by a licensed prescriber, such as pharmacotherapies specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of opioid use disorder as well as other medications with FDA-approved indications for the treatment of cooccurring disorders (SAMHSA, Recovery Housing: Best Practices and Suggested Guidelines). b) “Recovery housing is an intervention that is specifically designed to address the recovering person’s need for a safe and healthy living environment while supplying the requisite recovery and peer supports” (SAMHSA, 2018). c) “The transition from active addiction into lasting recovery is often a difficult and emotionally trying journey for many people with a substance-use disorder. NIDA (2018) indicated that the relapse rates for substance-use disorders is approximately 40-60%, and that relapses could signify the necessity to reexamine a person’s course of treatment, as relapses can be very dangerous and, in many instances, deadly. The first 12 months of this transitional period prior to the onset of sustained full remission, sometimes referred to as early recovery, is a crucial period during which people contend with raw core clinical issues such as family history, unresolved trauma, grief and loss, emotional immaturity, low frustration tolerance, and other factors that make them susceptible to relapse. However, Moos & Moos (2006) determined that individuals with more ‘social capital’ are more likely to show improved outcomes for short term remission. Therefore, recovery houses are uniquely qualified to assist individuals in all phases of recovery, especially those in early recovery, by furnishing social capital and recovery supports” (SAMHSA, 2018); Priority should go to persons directly affected by the opioid epidemic as a result of the harmful conduct caused by entities within the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain.
