Institute for Behavioral Health

The UPWARD Study

Understanding Pathways to Wellness and Alcohol Recovery in Detroit

Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA; R01AA029817) and in partnership with the Detroit Recovery Project (DRP), the UPWARD study seeks to enable a deep understanding of:

  1. what recovery means to the Black community
  2. how recovery can be measured
  3. how we can advance recovery journeys of Black people with alcohol use disorder (AUD)

The results of this work will be meaningful to Black people in recovery, providers who treat Black people who have AUD, and to researchers and policymakers who need to better understand the meaning and needs of a diverse US population.

What is Recovery?

Recovery is a process of changing behavior over time, which leads to stable improvements in daily function, sense of purpose, and well-being. Recovery can mean that symptoms related to alcohol problems lessen and heavy drinking stops all together.

Recovery resources– such as community organizations– aim to support individuals in this process, but research on recovery within the Black community is lacking.

Our Focus on the Black Community

Black Americans suffer from a range of health disparities due to a long history of structural inequalities and racism. In terms of alcohol use, this affects Black people in the following ways:

  • Black people are less likely to drink alcohol than the general population but have a similar rate of alcohol use disorders (AUD)– that’s 1.5 million Black Americans with AUD
  • Black people suffer more negative consequences due to alcohol use such as illnesses, injuries, criminal-legal involvement, and social problems

Study aims graphic, further description at the following link: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10757928

The results will be meaningful to Black individuals themselves, providers who treat Black people who have AUD, and to researchers and policymakers who need to better understand the meaning and needs of a diverse US population.