helping programs sustain impact

Our Why

Commonly Well was founded on a simple premise: individuals engaged in addiction recovery care deserve quality measurements that reflect the fullness and complexity of the recovery experience.

For too long, recovery has been measured by a single metric — sobriety. But anyone who has walked the path of recovery knows it's far more complex than that. Recovery is about hope, relationships, purpose, stability, and belonging.

We set out to change that. Today, Commonly Well helps treatment providers, recovery programs, and public systems understand what's actually working — and what isn't — so they can serve more people, more effectively.

We believe the behavioral health field deserves authoritative, evidence-based intelligence to guide decisions, demonstrate impact, and secure sustainable funding.

The Recovery Capital Index

The Recovery Capital Index (RCI) is the foundation of Commonly Well’s measurement strategy.

The RCI is a validated, peer-reviewed assessment that measures what actually matters in recovery: personal wellbeing, social support, and cultural connection. Unlike traditional addiction and mental health measures that focus solely on substance use and symptoms, the RCI captures the full picture of a person's capacity to thrive.

Over 50,000 individuals across the United States have engaged with the RCI over the last 5 years to assess their recovery.

Three domains. 9 Components. Twenty-two indicators.

Organizations and communities use the RCI to:

• Understand individual progress beyond sobriety

• Benchmark program effectiveness

• Demonstrate outcomes to funders and policymakers

• Identify where people need support most

The RCI does not ask about substance use. It asks about life, because life determines recovery, not the other way around.

Our Origins

Rooted in non-profit and peer support services.

The Recovery Capital Index was derived at Face It TOGETHER, a pioneering nonprofit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, dedicated to solving addiction through peer coaching and community transformation.

In 2012, David Whitesock (Commonly Well’s Founder) was Face It TOGETHER’s Chief Innovation Officer. He and the organization were posed a challenge: How do we move beyond anecdotes and the binary of sobriety to actually measure whether people are getting better? The answer became the RCI — a comprehensive assessment developed over 6 years of research, tested with thousands of people engaged in evidence-based peer support, and validated through a peer-reviewed study published in 2018.

Commonly Well was formed in 2020 after a number of organizations sought out a licensed version of the RCI. Face It TOGETHER retains ownership of the Recovery Capital Index today. Commonly Well exclusively develops and commercializes the RCI.

Doing well by doing good.

When organizations work with Commonly Well, a portion of that revenue flows back to Face It TOGETHER to directly support free, life-changing peer coaching for people who couldn't otherwise afford it.

When you choose Commonly Well, you're not just buying a service — you're investing in recovery for people who need it most and a greater impact beyond your own organization or community.

Meet Our Founder

David Whitesock | Founder + CEO

When organizations work with Commonly Well, a portion of that revenue flows back to Face It TOGETHER to directly support free, life-changing peer coaching for people who couldn't otherwise afford it.

David's path to this work has been anything but conventional. Before becoming a lawyer, social entrepreneur, and company founder, he was a radio broadcaster — hosting an A.M. talk show and doing live play-by-play high school, college, and olympic sports in the Dakotas. Through that time, addiction and depression took hold.

In 2005, after multiple DUIs and a felony conviction, David found himself in a small South Dakota jail with little hope and fewer possessions. After six months in jail, six months in a sober home, a return to college, including law school, David ultimately convinced the South Dakota Supreme Court that he was fit to practice law.

Practicing law was the objective, but building recovery support systems had a greater gravitational pull.

David joined Face It TOGETHER in 2012 and was immediately challenged to create a way to measure recovery — not just sobriety, but true wellbeing. The result was the Recovery Capital Index, now used by organizations and communities across the country.

David founded Commonly Well in 2020 to expand the reach of the RCI and help the entire behavioral health field embrace evidence-based approaches to recovery. He's a 2015 Bush Fellow, a regular speaker on addiction and mental health, and an advocate for attorney wellness and impaired driving prevention.

David lives in Potsdam, New York, where he, his wife, and their beagle explore the expanse of the Adirondacks.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

Vision:
A world where health and wellbeing are common to all.

Mission:
Empower changemakers with recovery intelligence to remake lives and communities.

Values:

Dignity Through Trust. We believe trust naturally follows in an environment of mutual respect and dignity. Our work comes from a place of compassion, empathizing with different perspectives and experiences.

Openness is Our Default. We seek to understand before being understood, exploring issues thoroughly from all angles. A mindset of openness allows us to balance conviction with humility.

Bring Curiosity to Everything. We meet each encounter with curiosity rather than defensiveness. By constantly asking "why" and "what if," we fuel innovation, progress, and growth.

Do It Right. We take the time necessary to deliver quality solutions. Commonly Well doesn't seek to do things first. We seek to do things better.