‘Coaches’ Join Movement To Recover From Addiction

As the opioid crisis drags on, lawmakers and the governor want new ways to fight it.

The Berkshire Eagle reports one now getting attention is "recovery coaching" — a practice that's poised to expand in Berkshire County, which has seen at least 195 people succumb to opioid overdoses since 2010, according to the state Department of Public Health.

A recovery coach is an ally, mentor, confidant, cheerleader and truth-teller. The coach works as a peer, outside of the medically oriented treatment system, to help someone fighting addiction not only resist substance abuse, but cope with all kinds of everyday problems.

Some see this coaching as an alternative to traditional 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. While 12-step "sponsors" advise participants on ways to conform to that system, recovery coaches view clients as their own best resources — as those who know best what hasn't worked yet, and what might still, its proponents say.