Living Room Cardiff’s peer support is the process of giving and receiving non-professional, non-clinical assistance to achieve long-term recovery from severe alcohol and/or other drug-related problems or harmful behaviours.
The definition contains several critical elements:
Process of recovery implies that there is a continuity of support over time, which is central to sustaining long-term recovery. The main focus is not on addiction–related pathology, but emphasising the empowerment of the person and building on their strengths and assets. Importance is placed on peer support and involvement of family members and friends in helping the person to build meaningful and valued lives, realise their aspirations and contribute positively to society.
Non-clinical means that it is different from clinical services that involve diagnosis and treatment by health care professionals. However, all peer workers are also being trained and appropriately supervised. Here, professional clinical services may have a peer quality to them when they are delivered by psychologists, social workers or addiction counsellors who are in recovery. To clarify this, individuals seeking recovery may receive peer support within a group therapy, but this is lead by a professional therapist/ addictions counsellor.
Peer based means that support and services are provided by individuals who have successfully achieved addiction recovery. Recovery is concentrated around three main elements:
1. sobriety (or working towards abstinence from the substance/drug/behaviour),
2. improvement in general health (physical, emotional relational), and
3. reintegration (community life and participation).