Barriers and facilitators to recovery support interventions in US Rural Recovery Houses: Implementing the SMART life...

Area of Science:

• Addiction Medicine
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Substance use disorder affects millions, necessitating effective recovery support services.
• Recovery housing offers substance-free environments and structured programs for individuals in recovery.
• The Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART) Successful Life Skills (SLS) program is a potential enhancement for resident outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss implementation barriers and facilitators of the SLS program in rural recovery housing.
• To identify challenges in recruiting participants and implementing a new program in this setting.
• To explore strategies used to overcome these identified barriers.

Main Methods:

• A 3-year initiative to implement the 12-session SLS curriculum in 100 rural recovery houses across the U.S.
• Qualitative analysis of implementation barriers and facilitators encountered during the initiative.
• Documentation of solutions employed to address recruitment and program implementation challenges.

Main Results:

• Significant barriers were encountered in recruitment, including an unknown recovery housing landscape, research stigma, inconsistent staffing, and varied treatment philosophies.
• Program implementation faced challenges related to technology access, digital literacy, time constraints for residents and staff, and high staff turnover.
• Facilitators and solutions included multiple contact methods, strong collaboration, stakeholder engagement, financial/material support, flexible evaluation, and transparency.

Conclusions:

• Implementing evidence-based programs like SLS in rural recovery housing presents unique and substantial challenges.
• Overcoming these barriers requires adaptive strategies, strong partnerships, and a commitment to flexibility and transparency.
• Further research and tailored approaches are needed to effectively integrate recovery support programs in diverse recovery housing settings.