A coworker mentions a brother in treatment. A neighbor says she’s three years into recovery. A friend asks what you know. Most of us want to say something helpful, and most of us aren’t sure what that is. So we say nothing.
This free course is a place to start. Learn what addiction is, what recovery looks like, and how to help it be seen where you live.
Free · 9 modules · About 40 minutes · Certificate when you finish
No login. No account. We count button clicks, never who clicks.
Built with Addiction Policy Forum and the Recovery Research Institute. Aligned with Maine Community College System standards.
Three pillars. Nine modules.
Help exists. The gap is visibility. The course covers what addiction is, what recovery looks like, and how to help make recovery more visible.
Module 1:
The "Addiction" Video Series
How substance use disorder affects the brain, why some people are more vulnerable than others, and how severity is understood. A short animated series, created with Addiction Policy Forum.
Module 2:
Barriers to Help
Fear, cost, access, stigma, and the ways communities can make it harder to reach out. Knowing what stands in the way is the first step to making recovery easier to find.
Modules 3 & 4:
Recovery Capital
Recovery is not one thing. Developed with the Recovery Research Institute, these modules look at recovery capital: the skills, relationships, and community connections that help recovery last.
Modules 5 & 6:
Paths & Programs
Peer support groups, faith-based programs, residential programs, treatment that includes medication, and more. No path is presented as better than another. You’ll see the range and what each one offers.
Modules 7 & 8:
Recovery Systems
Recovery community centers, peer recovery coaches, recovery housing, and the networks that help people stay in recovery over time. What they are, where to find them, and what to expect.
Module 9:
Friends & Family
What family members often go through, what support exists for them, and how to stay present without burning out.
Certification upon successful completion.
The Recovery Basics Course is aligned with curriculum standards from the Maine Community College System (MCCS). When you finish, the certificate is yours if you want it. No one is notified, no one is listed, and your completion stays private unless you choose to share it.
Some people will. Posting the certificate on LinkedIn, adding it to a website, or handing it to an employer is a quiet signal to the people around you: I took the time to learn about recovery, and I can talk about it. That signal is what makes recovery easier to find. One post in a feed, one certificate on a wall, one person in a workplace who wants to make recovery more visible. That’s how it spreads.
Claim it or don’t. Either way, what you learned is yours to pass along.
