Sheffield to lead the way in drug and alcohol addiction recovery

An international academy has been launched at Sheffield Hallam University to support new research and policy around recovery from drug and alcohol abuse.

The new Desistance and Recovery Academy is a partnership with Ghent University in Belgium.

It will be a hub for expertise, offering opportunities for postgraduate student collaboration in research and teaching.

The hope is that Sheffield will form part of a network of 'recovery cities' to share research and best practice across the world.

Professor David Best, head of criminology at Sheffield Hallam and an expert in recovery, said: "The Desistance and Recovery Academy will create a centre of excellence in three areas - research, teaching and practice in the field of recovery from substance use and desistance from offending. These are key areas of public concern and where gaps remain between research and practice.

"We will offer messages of hope and the work we do will promote inclusion based on a growing evidence base about the process of positive change."