In Module 1 readers will learn that:

• • Recovery from problematic substance use is a process of change that may or may not have abstinence as a goal. Recovery has many pathways.
  • The concept of problematic substance use has evolved from misunderstanding it as a moral failure, to thinking of it as a disease, to, increasingly, applying a biopsychosocial model that considers an individual’s lived context.
  • The service landscape and the workforce for addressing problematic substance use are changing, as are the entry points for treatment of problematic use.
  • Peer support services have been found to support individuals with problematic substance use in initiating, strengthening, and sustaining recovery.
  • Any recurrence of use may be preceded by warning signs; counselors should be aware of these signs and be prepared to adjust the support they provide.
  • Individuals with problematic substance use should have access to recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSCs), in which providers of treatment, recovery support, and other services take a long-term, coordinated, and holistic approach to addressing individuals’ substance use– related problems.
  • Recovery-oriented counseling for problematic substance use can take place in a wide variety of settings, including specialty SUD treatment settings.