The Strengths and Barriers Recovery Scale (SABRS): Relationships matter in building strengths and overcoming barriers

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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