The logic of recovery and injection drug use

Recovery and the needle exchange might at first appear to be the opposites, but the evidence base indicates very clearly that injecting drug users can move directly to recovery without ever entering treatment programmes. Workers who come into contact with injection drug users should therefore be mindful of the possibilities for recovery in their client group. The evidence base supports the assertion that people can move towards recovery at any point and this increases as people get older. This paper explores the evidence around the routes into recovery for injecting drug users. The paper also explores the ethical and practical issues for practitioners and policy makers when thinking about recovery and injection drug use.