ABOUT DCRCA

About DCRCA

Our Mission

The DC Recovery Community Alliance (DCRCA) is an organization of people in long-term recovery, their friends, and their families, committed to victory over the stigma and suffering caused by alcohol and other drug isorders in Washington, DC.  We believe in the vital roles of science, faith, and personal practice in this effort.  We educate, advocate, celebrate, and serve to advance and sustain recovery for the entire community.

Our Vision for the Community

We envision a community where alcohol and other drug disorders are recognized early, treated promptly, thoroughly, and effectively, and where recovery is sustained for a lifetime.

In our vision, people in recovery are respected as valued citizens–full partners in the larger community that cherishes each member and works to benefit all.

Our Core Values

Voice of People in Recovery.  DCRCA believes that people suffering from addiction and in recovery must have a voice in defining solutions to addiction and strategies for supporting recovery for them to be effective.  As people in recovery, we are uniquely positioned to speak on behalf of people still suffering because of the authenticity of our experience.

Self-Determination and Respect for People in Recovery.  As people in recovery, we walk in pride.  We believe that people in recovery are deserving of respect and equal treatment–not stigma, shame, and discrimination.  People suffering from addiction and people in recovery are entitled to inclusion in society as equal citizens with both rights and responsibilities.

Sustainable Recovery.  A belief that recovery can be sustained is central to DCRCA’s values, vision, and mission.  DCRCA is committed to evidence-based practices in which recovery is an expected outcome.  We also recognize that people can come to the gift of recovery through many different paths and entrance points.

Love and Service.  DCRCA speaks and acts from the heart.  As people in recovery, we believe in the power of service to others to sustain our own recovery.

Principles and Honesty.  DCRCA is committed to honest and ethical stewardship of resources and of our members’ gifts and service to the community.  We are committed to a disciplined focus on our vision, mission, and goals.

Addiction as a Chronic Disease.  DCRCA believes that addiction is a public health concern that affects families and communities, not an individual moral failing.  As a medical disease, addiction should be treated by the health system using a medical model.  Addiction should not be seen as a crime and “treated” by the criminal justice system.  While DCRCA believes that all people in a civil society should pay for the consequences of their actions, addicts should not have to “pay more and pay longer.”

Recovery as a “Win-Win.”  Everyone has a stake in recovery.  When policies, systems, and communities support sustainable recovery, everyone wins.  All of our lives are improved.

Affiliations

DCRCA is an independent affiliate of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

Recent News

What’s new with the DC Recovery Community Alliance? Read More