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Living for One's Own Recovery and Working as a Supporter
-Functions and Expectations for the "Recovered" in the Process of Drug Addicts' Rehabilitation-

DARC, Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Center, was established by a recovering addict Tsuneo KONDO in 1985, Japan. It was began as a communal life by those who wish to recover from drug dependence.
DARC promotes recovery of its recovered staffs, as well as its clients, by raising their self-esteem in its activities. There is not paternalistic or authoritarian helping by "professional supporters" here.
Japanese recovered people did not have many resources to keep on recovering. Nevertheless, activities by recovered were not understood or supported so much by society. Therefore, DARC's members and organizations were protected from intervention of non-recovered, and DARC has pioneered as a station of recovered.
Recovered people have accomplished their recovery, not by authorized or professional programs, but by their own will, and have built a helping system based on equal relationships. This is quite advanced and meaningful.
What was needed for recovered counselors was only "being recovered"? Because recovered counselors have roles which professional supporters cannot have, have thought their roles were their essence, and have empowered themselves in the station of recovered.
But lately, some recovered counselors, who have been recovered for a long time, have relapsed, or taken a sick leave because of depression. The author considered that this is not just a personal problem, e.g. relapse of dependence, but a common problem which many Japanese recovered counselors have, and discussed difficulty of continuing to work as a counselor by only sharing their experience.