The Recovery Zone System

The Recovery Zone System is a road map for a life in recovery. It gives clear guidelines on when and how a person in recovery can address various areas of life—treatment, fellowship activities, relationships, education, career, finances, recreation, and health—now that he is striving to put his life back on track. It helps him to know when he is ready to move forward in each of those areas. And it helps him to see when he might need to move back for a bit, to avoid a relapse.

The Recovery Zone System divides life in recovery into three distinct Recovery Zones: Red, Yellow, and Green. It also includes the Recovery Zone ReCheck, a relapse prevention tool, and TAMERS, a device for helping your brain heal. Together, these tools serve as the basis for a strong continuing care program.

The Recovery Zones

  • The Red Zone: Activate your recovery. For the first eighteen months or more of recovery, focus first and foremost on saving your life. Nothing else is as important.
  • The Yellow Zone: Proceed with caution. Build your life. Once you have a solid eighteen months or more of sobriety, you’ll move into the Yellow Zone, where you can put your energy into building the life you deserve and making your existence more fulfilling.
  • The Green Zone: Go. Celebrate your life. After you have a few solid years of sobriety and have rebuilt your life, you’ll move into the Green Zone. Then it’s time to celebrate your life, do what you can to live a long and healthy life, and help others find recovery.

Recovery Zone System wristbands serve as a discreet reminder of where you are in your recovery, and help you to stay focused on your current priorities.

The Recovery Zone ReCheck

The Recovery Zone ReCheck is an easy-to-use relapse prevention tool. It asks you to take a focused inventory once a month or so, answer some basic questions, and then take action based on your answers.

TAMERS

TAMERS is a simple device that helps people in recovery remember what they need to do—every day—to use the power of neuroplasticity to heal their brains.

  • Think about recovery, Talk about recovery
  • Act on recovery, connect with others
  • Meditate and Minimize stress
  • Exercise and Eat well
  • Relax
  • Sleep

Learn more the Recovery Zone System in The Recovery Book.