Publications & Resources

Access our latest research, training materials, and evidence-based resources for recovery professionals and organizations.

Research
2026

Baseline Recovery Capital and Substance Use History as Determinants of Recovery Residence Length of Stay

Matthew J. Belanger, Kurt D. Lebeck, Adela Bunaciu, Arun Sondhi, David W. BestJournal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 2026

What predicts how long people stay in recovery residences: a study of 2,534 residents across 61 U.S. homes using recovery capital and substance use history.

Research
2026

Peer Recovery Care Planning While Awaiting Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment

Annette Peart, Ariel D. Roxburgh, Lauren Findlay, Benn Veenker, Tarisai Shinya, Victoria Manning, David Best, Dan I. LubmanDrug and Alcohol Review, 2026

A pilot study of peer workers using REC-CAP care planning to build recovery capital for people on waiting lists for alcohol and drug treatment in Australia.

Research
2025

An "Outside In" Model of Recovery Capital Growth: Building Personal and Social Recovery Capital From Community Resources

David Best, Shelley Duffy, Dot Smith, Jennifer Bryson, Bill WhiteAddiction Research & Theory, 2025

Why recovery capital growth starts with community: the outside-in model from Best and colleagues, illustrated by Inclusive Recovery Cities like Middlesbrough.

Research
2025

Longitudinal Changes in Recovery Capital Among Recovery House Residents With and Without Criminal Legal System Involvement

Adela Bunaciu, Arun Sondhi, David Best, Emily A. Hennessy, Jessica Best, Matthew J. Belanger, Alessandro Leidi, Anthony Grimes, Matthew Conner, Robert De Triquet, William WhiteCriminal Justice and Behavior, 2025

Residents with criminal legal system involvement build recovery capital just as strongly in recovery housing: a REC-CAP study of 1,933 residents in 101 homes.

Research
2025

Outcome trajectories for violent and sex offenders in recovery residences with a substance use disorder compared to non‑offending residents

Arun Sondhi, David Best, Alessandro Leidi, Sarah ScarbroughJournal of Experimental Criminology, 2025

Trajectories of 757 recovery residence residents in Virginia comparing violent, sexual, and non-offending groups on retention and recovery capital gains.

Research
2024

Assessing a Pilot Scheme of Intensive Support and Assertive Linkage in Levels of Engagement, Retention, and Recovery Capital for People in Recovery Housing

Matthew J. Belanger, Arun Sondhi, Amy A. Mericle, Alessandro Leidi, Maike Klein, Beth Collinson, David Patton, William White, Hao Chen, Anthony Grimes, Matthew Conner, Bob De Triquet, David BestJournal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 2024

A pilot of intensive recovery support with assertive community linkage for 175 high-need recovery residents, showing stronger retention and capital growth.

How culture shapes women's addiction recovery: a case study of three UK women from different ethnic backgrounds using the REC-CAP and CHIME-D frameworks.

Research
2023

Bridging the gap: building and sustaining recovery capital in the transition from prison to recovery residences

David Best, Arun Sondhi, Lauren Hoffman, Jessica Best, Alessandro Leidi, Anthony Grimes, Matthew Conner, Robert De Triquent, William White, Bailey Hilliard, Karl Leonard, and April HutchisonJournal of Offender Rehabilitation, 2023

How a Virginia jail therapeutic community used the REC-CAP to keep building recovery capital through reentry into recovery housing with ongoing peer support.

Research
2023

Implementing a Recovery Capital Model Into Therapeutic Courts: Case Study and Lessons Learned

Emily A. Hennessy, Paige Krasnoff, David BestInternational Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2023

A pilot of the REC-CAP recovery capital model in two drug treatment courts: how court staff used it for strengths-based case planning, and what they learned.

Research
2023

Measuring recovery capital for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction: a systematic review

Adela Bunaciu, Ana-Maria Bliuc, David Best, Emily A. Hennessy, Matthew J. Belanger, Christopher S. Y. BenwellAddiction Research & Theory, 2023

A systematic review of 69 studies measuring recovery capital: the instruments that exist, how they are being used, and where more validation is needed.

Research
2023

Using Recovery Capital to Predict Retention and Change in Recovery Residences in Virginia, USA

David Best, Arun Sondhi, Jessica Best, John Lehman, Anthony Grimes, Matthew Conner, Robert De TriquetAlcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 2023

Peer-administered REC-CAP assessments in Virginia recovery residences show how recovery capital predicts resident retention, progress, and support needs.

Research
2022

The Growth of Recovery Capital in Clients of Recovery Residences in Florida, USA: A Quantitative Pilot Study of Changes in REC-CAP Profile Scores

Sofia Hard, David Best, Arun Sondhi, John Lehman, Rick RiccardiSubstance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2022

A six-month REC-CAP study of recovery residences in Florida showing how employment, social support, and group participation drive growth in recovery capital.

Research
2022

The Science of Recovery Capital: Where Do We Go From Here?

David Best, Emily A. HennessyAddiction, 2022

Best and Hennessy take stock of 20 years of recovery capital science and set four priorities for the field, from measurement rigor to policy translation.

Research
2017

Development and validation of a Brief Assessment of Recovery Capital (BARC-10) for alcohol and drug use disorder

Corrie L. Vilsaint, John F. Kelly, Brandon G. Bergman, Teodora Groshkova, David Best, William WhiteDrug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017

How the 50-item Assessment of Recovery Capital became the BARC-10, a validated 10-question measure of recovery strengths for research and practice settings.

Research
2017

Recovery capital pathways: Modelling the components of recovery wellbeing

Ivan Cano, David Best, Michael Edwards, John LehmanDrug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017

A study of 546 recovery residence residents in Florida linking longer stays and meaningful daily activity to stronger recovery capital and improved wellbeing.

Research
2012

The Assessment of Recovery Capital: Properties and psychometrics of a measure of addiction recovery strengths

Teodora Groshkova, David Best, William WhiteDrug and Alcohol Review, 2012

How the Assessment of Recovery Capital (ARC) was developed and validated as a reliable, strengths-based measure of the personal resources that sustain recovery.

Research
2011

Recovery Group Participation Scale (RGPS): Factor Structure in Alcohol and Heroin Recovery Populations, Journal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery

Teodora Groshkova, David Best, William WhiteJournal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery, 2011

How the Recovery Group Participation Scale measures involvement in 12-step, faith-based, and peer groups, and why participation strengthens recovery outcomes.

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