A demanding expedition to Africa's highest mountain was transformative for a group of Norwegians with long-term substance use problems.
The group gained something many had struggled to achieve despite years of treatment: lasting progress towards recovery. Five years later, participants were still drawing on the experience.
Adventure therapy uses challenging outdoor activities such as hiking or climbing to help people build confidence and healthier ways of coping with mental health issues such as addiction.
Participants in one such adventure therapy project reported that the experience succeeded where traditional treatments had failed, giving them structure, motivation, and a sense of control over their lives.
The findings support a simple but powerful idea: recovery may depend as much on meaningful life experiences and social connection as on clinical treatment.
Lasting effects
“What’s striking is that participants are still drawing on this experience five years later,” says Hilde Sylliaas, Associate Professor of Public Health Science at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and co-author of the study. “They describe it as something that continues to influence how they manage everyday life.”
The study followed a group of people who joined a year-long adventure therapy project culminating in the Kilimanjaro climb. Researchers later interviewed participants and leaders about what the experience meant over time.
Their accounts point to steady, life‑improving changes.
Not focused on addiction
Many of the participants had previously undergone several rounds of treatment. These were often described as interventions carried out on them, with strong emphasis on their problems and limitations.
The Kilimanjaro project worked differently. It gave them a goal that had nothing to do with addiction on the surface – reaching the summit – and required them to show up, train, cooperate, and stay sober.
Several participants explained how preparing for the expedition imposed structure on otherwise chaotic lives and introduced a sense of accountability. Motivation, they said, did not come first but developed through participation.
“In many traditional settings, motivation is expected to come first,” says Sylliaas.
“Here, it seemed to emerge later. People committed to something concrete, and motivation followed from being part of the process.”
Structure as a turning point
The expedition also changed how participants approached everyday life. They had to take responsibility for themselves in very practical ways.
Training sessions, group hikes, and regular meetings established routines. For people accustomed to instability, this structure became a turning point. Several participants said it was the first time they had managed to maintain daily commitments over an extended period.
From problem to resource
The setting played a crucial role. Training hikes and the climb itself placed participants in unfamiliar environments where previous roles did not apply.
Rather than being defined by substance use problems, participants saw themselves as members of a team working together to accomplish something demanding.
This shift affected both self-perception and how they were viewed by others.
Several participants described the importance of being trusted and treated as capable. Rather than being reminded of their failures, they were encouraged to succeed.
“Being seen as a resource rather than a problem is fundamental here,” says Sylliaas.
“The outdoor context created situations where participants could demonstrate strength, persistence, and cooperation - qualities that are often overlooked in problem-focused services.”
The group dynamic further reinforced this effect. Everyone involved, including professional leaders, faced the same physical challenges. This shared strain reduced hierarchies and fostered a sense of equality rarely experienced in traditional treatment settings.
“What makes these findings notable is not that participants felt good during the expedition,” Sylliaas adds, “but that many reported lasting effects years later.”
Participants described increased confidence, stronger social ties, and a continued desire to remain sober. Some referred to the experience as “starting to live”: forming friendships, trying new activities, and imagining a future beyond substance use.
The expedition did not solve all their problems, but it provided a point of reference, and evidence that change was possible.
“Recovery is often framed as something that happens inside the individual,” says Sylliaas. “But this study shows how important context is. New environments and new roles can open possibilities that may not be available in everyday life.”
Time and commitment mattered
A key feature of the project was its length. Preparations lasted around ten months, followed by the expedition itself and continued contact afterward. This long-term engagement contrasts with many short-term interventions.
“We should be cautious about expecting quick fixes,” Sylliaas notes.
“For many people with long-term substance use challenges, change is gradual and depends on stable relationships and meaningful activities over time.”
Not a universal solution
The researchers stress that the findings should not be overinterpreted. The study is small and context-specific, and it cannot establish a causal link between the expedition and long-term recovery outcomes.
Nevertheless, the consistency in participants’ accounts points to something worth considering. When people are given challenging, meaningful goals in supportive social environments, especially outside their usual contexts, they may develop motivation and skills that conventional approaches struggle to foster.
“This is not about replacing existing services,” says Sylliaas. “It’s about complementing them and expanding our understanding of what support can look like.”
Fact box
- People with substance use problems in Norway took part in a therapeutic expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro
- Effects were still reported five years later
- The intervention included around ten months of preparation and the mountain climb
- The nature-based challenge strengthened confidence and motivation
- Participants experienced increased responsibility and control in daily life
- A shared goal strengthened group belonging and reduced stigma
- Several described a shift in identity, from “addict” to team member and climber
- Limitations: Small sample size based on participants’ own accounts