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Abstract
Teaching recovery is recommended for inclusion in the curriculum and clinical experiences of all health professionals. Recovery is a continuum which starts with intervention and detoxification. It extends, over years, to stable, secure, or serene sobriety. Vaillant has described the necessary conditions for this process as abstinence, substitute dependencies, behavioral and medical consequences, enhanced hope and self-esteem, and social support in the form of unambivalent relationships. The easiest way to obtain these conditions in the continuing treatment of addictive disorders is to work a 12-step program of recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can serve as both a model for teaching and a source of valuable field experience in health professional education. The main components of working a 12-step program are attending meetings, choosing and participating in a home group, developing and using a phone list, and working the steps with the help of a sponsor. The recovery status exam is recommended as a clinical tool for monitoring and motivating patients in recovery from addictive disorders.