People with lived experience of alcohol and drug use are helping others navigate recovery. New UNSW research shows their experience is a powerful form of expertise when workplaces recognise and support it.
When someone walks into an alcohol or drug treatment service carrying shame, fear or the weight of relapse, the person who helps them most may be someone who’s been there themselves.
That’s the finding at the heart of new UNSW research exploring the growing role of workers with lived and living experience of alcohol and drug use and mental health challenges across Australia’s alcohol and other drug sector.
Rather than relying solely on clinical knowledge, these workers bring something that can’t be taught in a classroom: a deep understanding of what recovery really looks like.
“They can identify with clients in ways others can’t,” says Professor Loren Brener, a social psychologist and expert in stigma and discrimination from UNSW’s Centre for Social Research in Health.
“They bring an immediate sense of empathy and create a non-judgmental environment where people feel safe to share their stories.”
The qualitative study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, draws on interviews with 36 workers across alcohol, drug and mental health services. Participants included peer workers, counsellors, psychologists and social workers. Despite their different roles, they shared one view: lived and living experience is professional expertise.
More than empathy
Seeking help for drug and alcohol use or mental health challenges can be overwhelming. Many people entering treatment have experienced shame, stigma and repeated setbacks. Recovery is rarely a straight path, and returning to treatment after relapse can carry its own burden of guilt.
Workers with lived and living experience understand those realities because they have navigated them themselves.
“They understand the experiences of shame,” Professor Brener says. “They also understand that treatment and recovery aren’t a straightforward pathway.”
That shared understanding often changes the relationship from the very first conversation.
Prof. Brener says clients frequently recognise workers with lived and living experience without anyone needing to say a word.
“They just know,” she says. “They can identify the people who have that real depth of understanding and credibility.”
That trust can make it easier for people to talk openly about their experiences, engage with treatment and navigate the often-complex health and social service systems surrounding recovery. Some workers described accompanying clients to appointments with other services, helping them navigate healthcare, legal systems or child protection processes – settings they themselves had once struggled to negotiate.
“They understand the challenges of stigma and navigating services,” says Prof. Brener. “That experience helps people feel recognised rather than judged.”
Participants also described another powerful outcome: hope. For clients who struggle to imagine life beyond their substance use or mental health challenges, seeing someone who has built a career after their own treatment journey can offer tangible proof that change is possible.
Supporting those who support others
Yet the research also found that drawing on lived experience comes with unique challenges.
Supporting people whose stories closely resemble your own can be emotionally demanding. Workers described navigating difficult decisions about how much of their own experiences to share, managing personal triggers and, at times, facing stigma from colleagues.
“If a client has a similar history, it can be triggering,” says Prof. Brener. “Managing those boundaries can be difficult.”
The study found these challenges are less about lived experience itself than about whether organisations provide the support workers need. Regular reflective supervision, mentoring, guidance around disclosure and workplaces that actively address stigma all emerged as essential ingredients for a sustainable workforce.
“We often assume people will know how to manage disclosure because they have lived experience,” says Prof. Brener. “But they’re rarely given guidance.”
Participants also described experiencing stigma within their own workplaces. Some reported colleagues questioning their professionalism or assuming ordinary stress or fatigue signalled relapse.
These stories are a reminder that stigma can persist even within organisations committed to supporting recovery.
Beyond tokenism
Australia is increasingly recognising the value of lived experience across health and community services, with peer workers becoming a growing part of multidisciplinary care.
But meaningful inclusion means more than creating positions, says Prof. Brener.
“Lived and living experience is a skill and an expertise,” she says. “It should be valued that way.”
That means recognising experiential knowledge alongside formal qualifications, creating clear career pathways, providing equitable pay and ensuring workers have opportunities to shape how services are designed, not simply deliver them.
When lived and living experience is treated as genuine expertise, rather than symbolic representation, everyone benefits, says Prof. Brener.
“Clients receive more compassionate, responsive care. Organisations become better equipped to meet people’s needs. And workers are able to draw on their experiences without carrying the burden alone,” she says.
