Realistic Expectations about Addiction Treatment

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, successful treatment of addiction to drugs or alcohol is defined as being able to maintain a stable family life, have success at work, and be well thought of in your community. Does everyone who enters into a treatment program come out with those out comes? No – more times than not, addiction treatment has stumbles and relapse along the way. Addiction is not a concrete disease that there is a singular cure for. Think of it like blood pressure where symptoms come and go at varying degrees. Part of controlling blood pressure is medical and the other part is the responsibility of the person with the blood pressure problem. What they do as a person can affect the stability of the blood pressure. The same goes with addiction treatment. Treatment gives the addict the tools to stay sober, but if the tools are not actively worked, the addict can relapse.

Treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction is not always immediately successful, so you shouldn't be too hard on yourself if you stumble on the path to sobriety but you should also take ownership of your stumbles. However, the outcome for attending a treatment program has a higher percentage of success versus attempting to “go clean” on your own. Fifty to 70% of those who attend a treatment program for alcohol dependency don’t ever drink again or relapse once and get back on track without any further setbacks. .

The key components for someone getting and staying clean are attending a treatment program, ongoing participation in a recovery program, active involvement of the addict’s family in the treatment program, attending meetings, and staying in counseling for longer than 90 days. If these components are in place, the success rate of treatment rises immensely.


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

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