Delamere research challenges addiction recovery methods

Addiction treatment provider Delamere has completed the first phase of a research project examining how long-term recovery should be defined and measured. The research, carried out in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, aims to develop a better understanding of the factors that help people sustain recovery, including their physical and mental health, relationships, confidence, wellbeing and sense of purpose. 

Early insights from the research suggest that successful treatment involves far more than abstinence or programme completion.

For employers, addiction and substance misuse can present complex challenges involving employee health, absence, performance and workplace safety. Understanding what sustainable recovery looks like could help organisations move beyond short-term interventions towards longer-term support that considers an individual’s wider health and circumstances.

While recovery may initially centre on stopping alcohol or drug use and maintaining abstinence, individuals increasingly identify other factors, including connection, self-worth, hope, wellbeing and quality of life.

The project forms part of a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Delamere and Manchester Metropolitan University, funded by Innovate UK.

Its initial six-month research phase has now concluded, with the project moving into detailed analysis ahead of full findings being reported in the new year. One of the early insights is that people’s understanding of recovery appears to change as they progress through treatment and beyond.

The findings could have implications for workplace health and wellbeing, particularly how employers support employees experiencing addiction, manage their return to work following treatment and provide ongoing support for recovery.

Martin Preston, founder and chief executive of Delamere, said: “We talk a lot as a sector about successful treatment, but the way we measure that success has not always kept pace with what recovery actually looks like.

“Completing treatment matters. Abstinence matters. But neither tells you the whole story.

“Recovery can also mean rebuilding relationships, improving health, finding confidence, connection and purpose, and building a life people want to protect.

“We are putting our own treatment model under proper scrutiny because we want better evidence and a better understanding of what lasting recovery really looks like. Providers should be able to demonstrate what successful recovery means, not simply define success for themselves.”

The research has been co-created with Delamere colleagues and people with lived experience of addiction, helping to identify which outcomes matter most to individuals during treatment and recovery.

Emma Davidson, Knowledge Transfer Partnership impact lead, who is leading the research programme, said: “Recovery is complex. Someone can be abstinent, but that alone cannot tell us everything about their health, relationships, wellbeing or the life they are building.

“An important part of this research has been listening to people with lived experience and involving them in shaping what we ask and what we measure.

“That gives us a much richer understanding of recovery and allows us to look beyond a single marker of success towards the different ways people experience and sustain recovery over time.”

The wider research team includes Dr Gemma Yarwood, associate professor in applied social research at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Professor Robert Ralphs, professor of criminology and social policy and director of the university’s Drugs Policy and Social Change Research Group.

Delamere’s treatment model combines clinical care, therapeutic support and longer-term recovery services. Its programmes include Root, which explores the underlying causes of addiction, and Bloom, which provides support following residential treatment.

The provider operates a purpose-built treatment centre in Cuddington, Cheshire, which opened in 2020 and has supported more than 1,500 guests. It is also developing a second £30m, 32-bed facility in Nottingham, scheduled to open at the end of 2027.

Although the research is focused on addiction treatment rather than employment outcomes, its emphasis on sustained recovery raises wider questions for workplace wellbeing strategies.

Employees returning to work after addiction treatment may require support that extends beyond their immediate return, including access to appropriate health services, supportive management, adjustments where needed and an environment in which they can seek help without stigma.

The research also highlights the importance of measuring meaningful outcomes rather than relying solely on participation or completion rates – an issue increasingly relevant to employers evaluating the effectiveness of their workplace health and wellbeing provision.

Delamere said the next stage will examine the collected data in greater detail, with full findings expected in early 2027.