Introduction: Our aim is to evaluate the visually informed community mental health education materials cocreated in our research on youth substance misuse in Assam, India, and to reflect on what we might learn for similar initiatives in low-and middleincome countries.Methods: Materials consist of: (i) images participants brought to the interview; (ii) 30 posters cocreated by participants to convey key messages from their interview; (iii) six short films on the implications of addiction, and (iv) an animation of our Pathways to Recovery model. We also created a community education package that incorporated these materials. We analyse feedback from three groups of events and a social media campaign, which drew variably across our materials and engaged a range of audiences.Results: Outcomes indicate the cocreation process and focus on the visual was successful in promoting young people's voice, increasing awareness and has potential for stigma reduction. Our educational package was deemed useful in increasing awareness and has potential for prevention and treatment.Conclusions: Our case study offers insights into community mental health education in low-and middle-income countries, confirming the importance of cocreation, the usefulness of visual materials and the potential of social media campaigns while acknowledging the importance of local context in health messaging, particularly for stigmatized topics.

Introduction There are global calls for better understanding of substance use disorder (SUD) to inform prevention, risk reduction and treatment of this relapse‐prone disorder. Our aim in this article is to understand the pathways to recovery of youth in Assam, India who have suffered SUD. Methods We recruited 15 participants (11 men and 4 women) via two rehabilitation facilities. All are addicts‐in‐recovery aged 19–24 years. Material was generated through photo‐led interviews, analysed using an inductive variant of thematic analysis and the resulting model refined through expert and participant checks. Results We present a multiroute, multidirectional pathway to recovery model. It has three phases, Recreational Use , Addiction ( Relaxed , Chaotic , Strategic ) and Supported Recovery , each phase consisting of cycling between, or transitioning through, a series of stages. Conclusions The model enhances psycho‐socio‐cultural insights into the experience of risk and recovery, and informs prevention and treatment for youth substance misuse in Assam. This is the first model of its kind and an important public health resource. We discuss the possible transferability of the model to a wider range of contexts. Patient or Public Contribution The model presented was generated through analysis of interviews with addicts‐in‐recovery. Four of these addicts‐in‐recovery, and two mental health and rehabilitation service providers, conducted participant and expert checks of the model leading to its improvement.