 | 1999 | McGovern Family Foundation Award for the best book on addiction recovery for Slaying the Dragon |
 | 2001 | Keith Keesy Memorial Award presented by the Illinois Association of Alcohol and Drug Dependence |
 | 2001 | President’s Award, NAADAC—The Association for Addiction Professionals |
 | 2002 | Lifetime Achievement Award, Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (IAODAPCA) |
 | 2003 | National Association of Addiction Treatment Provider’s (NAATP) Michael Q. Ford Journalism Award |
 | 2004 | National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Award for Compelling Documentation of the Alcoholism Movement in the United States |
 | 2006 | Eagleville Award—an annual award presented by Eagleville Hospital to a person who has made a significant contribution to the field of addiction treatment. |
| 2006 | Lifetime Achievement Award presented by NAADAC—The Association for Addiction Professionals |
 | 2006 | Jeff Luke Servant Leadership Award presented by White Bison for service to the Native American Wellbriety Movement |
 | 2007 | John P. McGovern, M.D. Award presented by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) for outstanding contributions to the field of Addiction Medicine |
 | 2009 | Lifetime Achievement Award, Mayor’s Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission, City of Philadelphia |
 | 2010 | Dr. Nelson J. Bradley Life Time Achievement Award, National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers |
 | 2010 | The John P. McGovern Award and Lecture, Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. |
 | 2010 | Recovery Award for Excellence in Addiction Research & Education, Foundation for Recovery |
| 2011 | Recovery Heroes Honoree, NET Institute-Center for Addiction & Recovery Education |
 | 2012 | Norman E. Zinberg Award & Memorial Lecture, Harvard University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry |
 | 2012 | Friend of the Field Award (for extraordinary contributions to the field of opioid addiction treatment), American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence |
 | 2012 | Lifetime Achievement, The Voice Awards, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration |
 | 2013 | Saul Feldman Award for Lifetime Achievement for sustained and significant contributions to leadership and policy in the mental health and addiction recovery field. ACMHA The College for Behavioral Health Leadership |
 | 2013 | Resolution of commendation for sustained and seminal contributions to the addiction treatment and recovery field, Board of Directors, The Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association |
 | 2013 | Distinguished Advocate of the Year Award, Texas Association of Addiction Professionals |
 | 2015 | Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, America Honors Recovery / Faces and Voices of Recovery for outstanding contributions and lifetime devotion to the recovery advocacy movement. |
 | 2015 | William L. White Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of Recovery Research (year one recipient of named award). Young People in Recovery & Association of Recovery Schools. |
| 2018 | William White, Non-African American Contributors to African American Recovery. Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery |