Voices of hope: A feasibility study of telephone recovery support

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are chronic disorders frequently managed with crisis stabilization or short-term treatment. To improve rates of sustained remission from SUD, there is a need to shift the existing treatment paradigm away from an acute care model and toward a model of ongoing recovery management. Telephone recovery support (TRS) is a promising recovery management tool, consisting of weekly calls from volunteers, including peer workers, to people in recovery to offer support and connect participants with resources. The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of a TRS program in Central Kentucky, United States.

Participants (n = 506) were recruited for the program from a variety of settings, such as sober living/halfway houses, drug court, residential treatment transitional living, and outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment. For each call, participant status (e.g., experiencing psychosocial stressors, concerned about relapse) was recorded. To assess acceptability, we performed semi-structured interviews with participants (n = 7), which were subsequently transcribed and analyzed via content analysis.

Volunteers completed 35.7% of calls (a completed call was defined as either answered or returned) with 88% of participants reporting being okay, 9% reporting psychosocial stressors, and 3% reporting relapse or concerns about relapse. Participants reported that TRS provided a felt sense of support and consistent recovery engagement, and appreciated that volunteers took the initiative to reach out to them. Multiple participants reported a desire to increase the frequency of TRS contact.

TRS holds promise as a resource to promote long-term recovery support. More research is needed to determine the efficacy and adequate dosing of TRS calls.