From the Field

I'm at the December 14, 2006 meeting of Michigan's Recovery Council, and i realized how important the Recovery Movement is becoming, not only in the consumer community, but as a part of our common social life.

Recovery is a cultural phenomenon, not just because it occurs in a culture, but because it has always involved the creation of cultural artifacts.

Outside this community, people think of recovery as a medical process. But the "medicalization" of illness has nothing to ddo with the Recovery Movement.

The Recovery Movement is about personal and social empowerment of people who are stigmatized. Recovery is the way people create lives for themselves that are under their control. Recovery is the way people work together to form a community that will support their achievement of their dreams and hopes.

More later.

Tags: Recovery