Executive Summary: Navigating Systemic Dysfunction in Recovery Coaching This executive summary captures the core insights from the London Recovery Coaching Campus Community of Practice session (recorded 7 April 2026). The discussion provides a critical examination of the intersection between professionalised lived experience, systemic failure, and the strategic development of alternative recovery ecosystems. The Tension of Systemic Dysfunction The session highlights the deep frustrations recovery professionals face when operating within broken statutory frameworks, such as lengthy waiting lists and the lack of specialised care for complex substance dependencies. A core tension arises when practitioners must navigate the boundary between their designated scope of practice and the urgent need to mitigate harm in failing clinical environments. For example, the session details an instance where a peer volunteer had to step outside their formal role to guide paid clinical staff through the legalities of a Mental Health Act recall, demonstrating significant knowledge gaps within statutory services. The Four Continuums Framework To safely hold space amidst this systemic chaos, practitioners rely on structural tools like the Four Continuums of Coaching. This framework maps a client’s environment across four key areas: - Substance Relationship: Use, Misuse, Abuse, Dependence. - Recovery Pathway: Addiction, Harm Reduction, Abstinence. - Family Dynamics: Codependence, Interdependence, Independence. - Overall Health: High Well-being, Premature Death. By identifying where a client sits within this overarching system, coaches can provide targeted resilience rather than becoming consumed by the dysfunction of the environment. Resource Deprivation and Recovery Capital Addressing the structural roots of addiction, David Collins uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to illustrate the limits of sudden financial resources when an individual lacks the foundational recovery capital and guidance to sustain them. The discussion also addresses extreme resource deprivation, referencing vulnerable individuals in Africa forced to scavenge for survival, underscoring the urgent need for systemic, root-level interventions rather than superficial financial band-aids.

My Father was a chronic alcoholic, God bless his soul. I made this Ai video using our MAUNi-i Campus tools. The thumb nail is a picture of me and my Sister Sarah. Both her Brother (Me) and her Son Mathew (My Nephew) have what my father had !!!! Both Matthew and My Dad died by suicide. This is for the Families - @Luca Collins @Sam Collins @Michaela Collins @Tia Boulton @Paula Perkusic @Charlie Morrison @Ruth Lilleker @Jade Wilkinson @Tom Jack

Welcome to our Skool. Thank you @Tom Jack for your wisdom today. I made this using the transcript from our meeting this morning. Exciting news inside the video, let me know in the comments what it is.

Something I need to tell myself all the time -

Hi everyone — thanks for the warm welcome. I thought I should introduce myself properly. My background is lived experience, administration, and working within recovery services, which sharpened an interest I already had in people — especially why some things help, some things hinder, and why systems often expect people to fit them rather than the other way round. A lot of what I write about leans into neurodivergence, regulation, communication, and the parts underneath behaviour that are easy to miss. Looking forward to having a proper look around and seeing what conversations come up here.