Consumers Connect

The Friends of Addiction Recovery-New Jersey Consumer Advisory Committee has met for the third time. This group of ‘Friends’ decided that collectively they have a message they would like to convey to the State Division of Addiction Services that would assist in serving clients. This group is concerned about a client centered recovery oriented system of care. They came together as a group and developed a working definition of recovery. This group is exciting to watch because of the various representations. This group is comprised of individuals including those in recovery, family members, counselors, teachers, and more. Within the group are folks from other groups that advocate for and/or support recovery. We welcome them all with open arms. It is exciting to watch the group work because they have passion and voice it freely. I have seen them come to compromises about delicate issues. They have decided that in this work the ‘big picture’ is more important than the close-up snapshot. It will be exciting to witness the next chapter of the journey towards creating a system of care that is client-centered and recovery-oriented.