Assessment of Recovery Capital (ARC)

The Assessment of Recovery Capital (ARC) is a comprehensive, 50-item measure designed to evaluate the internal and external resources that support sustained substance-use recovery.

Developed by Groshkova, Best, and White (2013), the ARC assesses two broad domains: Personal Recovery Capital and Social Recovery Capital. Together, these domains capture the psychological, physical, interpersonal, and community-level assets that support recovery. The ARC provides a detailed profile of strengths and needs across multiple dimensions, making it useful for treatment planning, progress monitoring, and recovery-oriented care.

It does not diagnose substance-use disorders, but it offers clinicians a structured, evidence-based framework for understanding the assets that help individuals maintain recovery.

  • At intake, to establish a baseline resource map
  • Every 3–6 months during active recovery support or treatment
  • Annually, for individuals in long-term stable recovery
  • As clinically indicated, such as after relapse, major life transitions, or significant environmental changes

For professional reference, research, and education only. Not for diagnosis or medical advice.

The ARC (Assessment of Recovery Capital) is a self-report measure of the personal and social resources that support recovery from substance use. It was built to complement deficit-based assessments with a profile of recovery strengths [1].

Foundational context

The concept of “recovery capital” describes the total sum of resources, internal and external, that support sustained recovery from substance use. This framework broadens the focus beyond abstinence or symptom reduction, recognizing that recovery depends on a combination of personal capacities, social supports, and structural stability.

The ARC was developed to quantify recovery capital. The authors identified and tested candidate items and domains in focus groups, then collected data from several sources to assess the scale's psychometric properties [1].

The BARC-10 is a later brief form that keeps core components at a reduced length.

What does the ARC measure?

The ARC evaluates recovery-supporting resources across both internal and external domains.

The assessment measures:

  • Personal Recovery Capital Psychological health, emotional functioning, coping skills, physical wellness, sense of purpose, autonomy, self-efficacy, and personal growth.
  • Social Recovery Capital Supportive relationships, family resources, community belonging, social networks, cultural connectedness, and accessible recovery-supportive environments.

Together, these domains offer a holistic, strengths-based view of an individual’s recovery landscape.

How do you give the ARC?

  • Typically self-administered, but clinician support may be useful for individuals with literacy or cognitive barriers
  • Suitable for inpatient, outpatient, community recovery programs, peer-based settings, or telehealth
  • Best administered in a strengths-oriented, non-stigmatizing environment
  • Length may be a consideration in high-volume settings, though its comprehensiveness offers deep insight
  • Particularly valuable when paired with goal-setting or recovery planning tools

How do you score and interpret the ARC?

The ARC produces three key scores:

  1. Personal Recovery Capital Score
  2. Social Recovery Capital Score
  3. Total Recovery Capital Score

Interpretation Notes:

  • There are no universal clinical cutoffs; the ARC uses a comparative, descriptive interpretation model.
  • Higher scores indicate stronger resources for sustaining recovery, but are not predictive of abstinence or diagnostic outcomes.
  • Lower scores may signal vulnerabilities in areas such as social support, financial stability, health, or coping capacity.
  • Strong performance in one domain (e.g., personal strengths) may offset challenges in another (e.g., limited social support), and vice versa.
  • Interpretation should be contextualized with lived experience, socioeconomic factors, and recovery stage.
  • Changes over time may be more clinically meaningful than any single score.

The ARC is best used to guide therapeutic conversations, identify support needs, and reinforce strengths.

Psychometric properties

Reliability

  • Moderate test-retest reliability at 1 week in the development study [1]

Validity

  • Acceptable concurrent validity in the development study [1]
  • Principal component analysis in the development study found a single factor structure [1]
  • In 1,138 clients entering substance use disorder treatment, the 10 domain scores loaded on one general factor (75.8% of the common variance) and fit the hypothesized 10-domain structure poorly; the authors suggest a single total score is simplest to interpret, while noting that a few domains carry small unique variance [2]

Limitations

  • Screening strengths, not substance-use severity, must be paired with other assessments
  • Self-report may be affected by optimism bias or social desirability
  • No standardized clinical cutoffs, making interpretation relative rather than categorical
  • Performance may vary depending on cultural or socioeconomic context
  • Longer than the BARC-10, which may limit use in brief encounters

For individuals: This page is a clinical reference, not a diagnostic tool. If you have concerns about your own symptoms, bring this information to a qualified mental health professional.

Related

FAQ

  • Is the ARC self-report or clinician-administered?

    The ARC is designed for self-administration, meaning individuals complete it on their own. Clinician support may be offered when literacy barriers or cognitive challenges are present. This format makes it practical for a range of clinical and community recovery settings.

  • Does the ARC have clinical cutoff scores?

    No. The ARC does not have universal clinical cutoffs or severity categories. It uses a descriptive, comparative model: higher scores indicate stronger recovery capital, while changes over time or comparisons across domains are typically more meaningful than any single total score.

  • Can the ARC diagnose a substance-use disorder?

    No. The ARC measures the internal and external resources that support sustained recovery — not the presence or severity of a substance-use disorder. It should be used alongside disorder-specific assessments rather than as a standalone diagnostic tool.

  • What are the two main domains of the ARC?

    The ARC organizes recovery resources into Personal Recovery Capital (psychological health, coping skills, physical wellness, sense of purpose, self-efficacy) and Social Recovery Capital (supportive relationships, community belonging, cultural connectedness, and access to recovery-supportive environments). A total score combining both domains is also calculated.

References

    1. 1.Groshkova T, Best D, White W. The Assessment of Recovery Capital: properties and psychometrics of a measure of addiction recovery strengths. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2013;32(2):187-194.
    2. 2.Arndt S, Sahker E, Hedden S. Does the Assessment of Recovery Capital scale reflect a single or multiple domains? Subst Abuse Rehabil. 2017;8:39-43.

    © Original ARC authors (Groshkova, Best, White). All rights reserved. Widely used in clinical and research settings with attribution.

This library is an academic and clinical reference. A scale described here is not necessarily offered in HiBoop; each page says whether it is.

Add to your practice