Sharon Osterfield

David Best and Mags Dillon June 2026 There have now been three key milestones in the emergence of the Inclusive Recovery Cities movement: The initial events in Ghent and Gothenburg culminating in the original research paper in 2017 by David Best and Charlotte Colman[1] The launch event of Building Recovery In Middlesbrough (BRIM) at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough in May 2023 And now the first ever International Inclusive Recovery Cities event held in the beautiful Irish coastal city...

HMP Holme House, England’s first designated Recovery Prison, has partnered with Recovery Connections to pilot an intensive, peer-led Twinning Project designed to support people in prison as they prepare for release, and strengthen their long-term recovery. Between January and March 2026, two peer workers from Recovery Connections – Peter DeSliva and Colin Hughes, both former prisoners at HMP Holme House – worked intensively with four serving prisoners. Collectively the participants have spent...

Developing the Science of Flourishing in Addiction Recovery – William Stauffer & Dr David Best This essay was coauthored with Dr. David Best, an internationally recognized researcher in addiction recovery whose work has been central to advancing the science of recovery capital, social networks, and community-based pathways to long-term change. As coauthor, he brings decades of empirical research and global perspective on how connection, belonging, and social identity underpin the process of...