| An addiction to drugs or alcohol is incredibly resilient, | | | | how to do better, and to stay with aftercare |
| and rehabs that boast of 80% or better success | | | | programming long after the end of rehab, has an |
| rates are either lying, or purposefully ignorant. These | | | | enormous impact on the eventual success rates, and |
| types of success rates are simply not currently | | | | anyone who does all of these things during and after |
| possible, and any rehab that advertises such | | | | rehab has a great chance at beating an addiction to |
| impressive figures should be regarded with great | | | | drugs or alcohol. |
| suspicions. | | | | Personal will and determination are intangibles, hard to |
| Why 40% is more likely than 80% | | | | quantify, but do exert considerable influence over the |
| A relatively positive assessment of post rehab | | | | ultimate prognosis. |
| sobriety rates puts the figure at closer to a 40% | | | | Rehab is the best chance at sobriety |
| success, and more conservative estimates have a | | | | So although rehab is hard, it can be very expensive, |
| figure even lower than that. Addiction is a disease, | | | | and it offers nowhere close a guarantee; it is still |
| there is no cure, and all we can currently hope for is | | | | worth doing, it does offer the best chance at |
| remission and symptoms management. | | | | sobriety, and a determined and committed addict in |
| While a 40% or worse success rate is not particularly | | | | recovery can use the therapy, time of sobriety, and |
| encouraging, a quality drug or alcohol rehab still does | | | | continuing access to aftercare programs to great |
| offer addicts in recovery the best chance at | | | | effect. |
| achieving sobriety, and although many may need to | | | | Remember that this is a problem for life, that |
| attend a rehab twice, three times or more | | | | addiction always threatens and beckons with |
| throughout life, the price of doing nothing is | | | | temptation, and for a lot of people, a relapse or two |
| unfortunately far worse. | | | | is all a part of the process and progression of the |
| And addicts looking to recovery should not look to | | | | disease. We can never hope to cure it, and we need |
| the 6 out of 10 that may use again, but at the 4 out | | | | to stay vigilant if we can even hope to control it. |
| of 10 that use a brief period of rehab to transform | | | | There are no perfect solutions, but a rehab and a |
| their lives, achieve very difficult sobriety, and live a | | | | 40% chance at success are actually pretty good |
| far better life without drug or alcohol abuse. | | | | odds. |
| An individuals motivation and determination to | | | | Be very careful with rehabs that boast too much. If |
| treatment, to participate actively in the therapies of | | | | they lie about that, what else are they lying about? |
| rehab, to honestly soul search and self reflect on | | | | |