This is the second blog on Recovery Capital and the Recovery Capital Scale (RCS). I followed the instructions I laid out in the last post with a sample of 3 individuals who I know from the streets who agreed to share their personnel scale scores from the beginning of Addiction to A Better Quality of Life; Normalcy.

Categorizing the Scale Ratings: The individual’s answers to William White’s Recovery Capital Scale were matched to the Categories of Assets to initiate and sustain recovery from alcohol and other drug problems. I matched the numbers from the individual’s answers to statements to the KEY NUMBERS under the Category of Assets to the MASTER KEY NUMBERS from White’s scale pertaining to that category. Each person’s scale statement numbers are broken out under “Lowest and Highest.” When each person answered the Capital Scale they used 1 to 5 with 3 falling under the low number column. See The Capital Recovery Scale Evaluation and Next Steps.

If you are doing this, once you have placed the numbers under the Lowest and Highest columns, you will divide the lowest numbers in that category by the Master Category Key Numbers total of the category. The result will be the PERCENTAGE of NEED. If you are  just beginning your path to recovery, normally, the PERCENTAGE OF NEED percentages should be high. You should then concentrate on the high percentage statement on White’s statement sheet to move toward recovery.

Key Benefit: Once  you have categorized the RCS questions, you will be able to easily focus on “specific” assets.

Here are the categories and Master Category Key Numbers from the Recovery Capital scale:

• Financial – Questions 1, 9, 10  Total is 3
• Transportation – Question 2   Total is 1
• Environment/Housing/Clothing – Questions 3, 4, 19, 26  Total is 4
• Support – Questions 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 20, 21, 22, 23, 31   Total is 10
• Medical/Health – Questions 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 17, 18   Total is 7
• Self Motivation/Confidence/Plan – Questions 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35   Total is 10

Total number of Statements to answer is 35

Volunteers’ EARLY RECOVERY answers to the statements:
(Remember, these are the numbers of real people I know from the recovery community)

Person:                                             1                                      2

Category                             Lowest Key #/%           Lowest Key#/%

• Financial                      1,9,10 / 100%                  10,9 / 67%
• Transportation            2   / 100%                      2 / 100%
• Environment      3,4,19,26/  100%                      4,12,26 / 75%
• Medical/Health  12,13,14,15,16/ 71%        12,13,15,16,17 / 71%
• Self Motivation   25,29,33,34,35 / 50%     25,27,28,29,30,
•                                                                       32,33,34,35 / 90%
• Support         5,8,22,23,31/50%    5,6,7,11,20,21,22 / 70%

Person:                                            3

Category                             Lowest Key #/%

• Financial                1,9,10 / 100%
• Transportation            0 / 0%
• Environment         4,26 / 50%
• Medical/Health   2,13,14,16,17 / 71%
• Self Motivation    25,27,28,29,30,32,33,34,35 / 90%
• Support                 1,20,21,22,23,30 / 90%

Questions: What does breaking the Lowest Score tell us? How does it help?

Answer: Assuming a Case Manager is working with an individual, we now know “each” statement that can be looked at with the highest percentage of concerns. These are concerns that need to be addressed with the case manager. For each statement that is acted on, the higher the individual will progress on the Recovery Capital Scale. Additionally, by improving the rating on any given statement, there may be a contributing effect on other categories. For example, by creating workable Transportation, an individual may get a job and hold it, thus improving the Financial and Self Motivation Categories. The Recovery Capital Scale can be a valuable tool to recovery and a better quality of life.

The volunteers’ LATER TIME OF RECOVERY answers to the statements:
Person:                                             1                                     2

Category                             Lowest Key #/%           Lowest Key#/%

• Financial                      9  / 33%                           1  / 33%
• Transportation            0 / 0%                             2 / 100%
• Environment                3,4/  50%                       0 / 0%
• Medical/Health            12,14 / 29%               13,15,18,17 / 40%
• Self Motivation               25  / 10%                     29 / 10%
• Support                       5,22/20%                           5,22,31 / 30%

Person:                                           3

Category                              Lowest Key #/%

• Financial                       0 / 0%
• Transportation            0 / 0%
• Environment                0/ 0%
• Medical/Health         12/ 14%
• Self Motivation           0 / 0
• Support                         0 / 0%

Questions:  What does breaking out the Lowest Score tell us? How does it help?

Answer: These people have put addiction away; person 1 has not used for 2 years, person 2 for 4 years, and person 3 for 7 years. By working with Recovery Capital (Assets), their percentage of the weak quality of life was turned around to become a strong foundation. Each month and year they measured themselves, which created positive reinforcement of their Action Plan.

As promised, A-R-E blogs about real life. I really hope you will investigate and work the RCS. As with the real people in our sample, it measured and supported actions in the right direction.

Brian Masters

brianmasters919@gmail.com