Lived experience recovery organisations: epicentres of personal change and collective transformation

This groundbreaking collection brings together 14 powerful, first-person accounts from leaders of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs) leading the climb to transform the way recovery is done in the UK. These grassroots, peer-led initiatives are transforming the addiction recovery landscape. Born out of personal journeys through addiction, incarceration, and marginalisation, these organisations are reshaping how recovery is understood and not as a clinical destination, but as a cultural, collective, and community-driven process.

Spanning cities, towns, and rural communities, the 14 chapters document the struggles, triumphs, and deep-rooted commitment of people who have turned lived experience into lived expertise. With contributions from across England, Scotland, and Wales, this book showcases the innovative work of LEROs in building inclusive, recovery-oriented systems of care.

This book is both a celebration of recovery communities and a manifesto for embedding lived experience into the heart of national systems.