There is a well-established relationship between isolation and both morbidity and mortality in the context of addiction recovery, yet the protective effects of intimate and familial relationships have not been adequately assessed. The current paper uses the European Life In Recovery database to assess the association between relationship status and living with dependent children on recovery capital of people in recovery from drug addiction, operationalised by the Strengths And Barriers Recovery Scale (SABRS). The study participants were drawn from the REC-PATH study and supplemented by a second sample recruited by the Recovered Users Network (RUN) across various European countries, resulting in a combined sample of 1,313 individuals completing the survey, primarily online. The results show that, in recovery, those who are married or co-habiting reported significantly greater recovery strengths and fewer barriers to recovery, and reported greater gains in recovery capital across their recovery journeys. Similar associations are found for participants who have dependent children living with them. There is also some indication that this association is stronger for female than for male participants. Finally, having more people that one can rely on and a greater proportion of people in recovery in the social network are both linked to greater recovery capital and greater self-reported growth in recovery capital. We conclude that this study provides further evidence in favour of a “social cure” in recovery, in which close familial ties are associated with stronger recovery resources.

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Background There is growing evidence on the importance of a gendered understanding of recovery. Gender differences have been reported in relation to the nature and extent of substance use, pathways to and through substance use disorder and recovery capital acquisition and maintenance. There is little existing research on factors associated with recovery capital growth by gender. Methods The current paper uses the European Life in Recovery database to assess specific domains of the Strengths and Barriers Recovery Scale (SABRS) that best predict growth of recovery capital amongst people in recovery from drug addiction. The 1313 participants were drawn from the REC-PATH study and recruited by the Recovery Users Network (RUN) from across Europe. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify relationships between specific SABRS items and gender, as well as differences in the dimensions of the SABRS scale most likely to predict recovery capital growth by gender. Results Between their time in active addiction and in recovery, females show greater growth in strengths, despite females reporting fewer recovery strengths during active addiction than males, and males have greater reductions in barriers to recovery compared to females. Multivariate analyses show that strengths specifically related to prosocial meaningful activities are found to be highly significant for growth of recovery capital amongst males, whereas strengths related to both prosocial meaningful activities and general health management seem particularly relevant for growth of recovery capital amongst females. Conclusions We conclude that this further demonstration of gender differences in recovery pathways should suggest gender-specific approaches adopted in recovery community organisations to address these different needs.

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