“My dream is that instead of sending our people away for treatment, we turn our communities into treatment centres” - HAROLD R. JOHNSON, CREE AUTHOR
Recovery is possible. You’re not alone.
The stigma of recovery can be more severe than the stigma of active addiction
WELCOME TO THE RECOVERING IN PLACE RESEARCH LAB!
The Recovering in Place Research Lab (RIPL) at the University of Calgary focuses on fostering long-term addiction recovery through community-based, transdisciplinary action research. Centered on people with lived and living experience (PWLLE), RIPL emphasizes the creation of supportive spaces where recovery can thrive.
RIPL views recovery as a collective process, where "place" becomes a meaningful environment for healing and belonging (Tuan, 1974). Beyond academia, RIPL’s impact includes the creation of the UCalgary Recovery Community (UCRC) and the expansion of Recovery on Campus Alberta, Canada’s first province-wide collegiate recovery initiative.
Through action-oriented research, RIPL bridges academic inquiry with real-world change, transforming both policy and the culture around addiction and recovery.
Goals
Through our partnership between impacted community members, investigators, and practitioners, we aim to advance the following:
- Research Priorities: Identify key research priorities within the broader field of recovery, with a specific focus on understanding recovery as a social and community-driven process, while also exploring recovery-oriented interventions at the system level.
- Educational Mission: The Recovering in Place Lab advances its educational mission through a holistic approach that nurtures the development of trainees via integrated, community-based research training. We also prioritize knowledge translation and provide ongoing professional development opportunities. Our educational initiatives extend to community outreach, where we aim to raise awareness and educate both the public and addiction recovery professionals on key issues central to our research.
- Seed Funding for Innovation: Provide seed funding for pioneering projects that have the potential to drive significant breakthroughs and accelerate the growth of recovery science.
