One of my assignments is to preside over adult drug court sessions. It is always gratifying to see former addicts recover and become productive members of society.
Drug Courts are successful, but “success” means recovery rates of 30%-50%. Without the structure of Drug Court, “success” can mean 10%-50% recovery rate.
Many of the people I see have family and friends who have tried to convince their loved one to address their addictions but have been unsuccessful. Here is an excerpt from a helpful website:
LINK TO: http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/beating-the-relapse-statistics/
There are many reasons for why people may decide to return to addiction after a period of sobriety including:
* They did not adequately prepare for the transition from rehab to home. Moving from a protected environment to a world where the individual is faced by familiar temptation is a challenge, and the individual needs to be ready for this.
* They did not have appropriate aftercare. If the only step that the individual takes is to give up alcohol and drugs they are unlikely to find success in recovery.
* There are many individuals who are ambivalent about their recovery – they have not completely given up on the idea that they will one day be able to use alcohol or drugs safely. So long as the individual is not fully committed to their recovery they are unlikely to find success.
* There are many addicts who agree to enter recovery as an effort at appeasement. They have no real intention of staying sober long term, but they want to get family and friends off their case.
* Some individuals are dealing with a dual diagnosis, and this means that they have an additional mental health problem alongside their addiction. Unless both of these issues are dealt with it may be impossible for the individual to settle into recovery.
* Those people who enter recovery with unrealistic expectations can be setting themselves up for a relapse. Things do not become perfect overnight, and if the individual expects results without putting in the time and effort they are almost sure to be disappointed.
* Some individuals may be put on a path in sobriety that is inappropriate for their needs. The once size fits all approach to addiction recovery is not longer widely accepted.
* There are many people who believe that their only problem is alcohol or drugs, and they forget that there were reasons why they feel into addiction in the first place. If these reasons are not dealt with in recovery they can continue to cause problems and lead back to addiction.
* Some individuals turn to addiction substitutes such as workaholism or exercise addiction.
* Some people get sober but continue to spend their time with substance abusers. This means that they are constantly being tempted to return to their old life, and the chances are that one day they will be unable to resist.
* There are many examples of people becoming sober and then falling in with the wrong crowd. Not everyone in recovery is getting better, and dry drunks can pull other people down with them.
* Many people suffer from loneliness in recovery. This is usually because they have not yet had the time to make new friends in recovery to replace the drinking and drugging buddies they left behind.
* Some people take on additional burdens in early sobriety. This means that they become overwhelmed by everything and feel unable to cope.
* There are many individuals who give up one addictive substance but continue to use other mind altering substances.
This is a dangerous game that it almost certain to end badly.
Drug Courts are successful, but “success” means recovery rates of 30%-50%. Without the structure of Drug Court, “success” can mean 10%-50% recovery rate.
Many of the people I see have family and friends who have tried to convince their loved one to address their addictions but have been unsuccessful. Here is an excerpt from a helpful website:
LINK TO: http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/beating-the-relapse-statistics/
There are many reasons for why people may decide to return to addiction after a period of sobriety including:
* They did not adequately prepare for the transition from rehab to home. Moving from a protected environment to a world where the individual is faced by familiar temptation is a challenge, and the individual needs to be ready for this.
* They did not have appropriate aftercare. If the only step that the individual takes is to give up alcohol and drugs they are unlikely to find success in recovery.
* There are many individuals who are ambivalent about their recovery – they have not completely given up on the idea that they will one day be able to use alcohol or drugs safely. So long as the individual is not fully committed to their recovery they are unlikely to find success.
* There are many addicts who agree to enter recovery as an effort at appeasement. They have no real intention of staying sober long term, but they want to get family and friends off their case.
* Some individuals are dealing with a dual diagnosis, and this means that they have an additional mental health problem alongside their addiction. Unless both of these issues are dealt with it may be impossible for the individual to settle into recovery.
* Those people who enter recovery with unrealistic expectations can be setting themselves up for a relapse. Things do not become perfect overnight, and if the individual expects results without putting in the time and effort they are almost sure to be disappointed.
* Some individuals may be put on a path in sobriety that is inappropriate for their needs. The once size fits all approach to addiction recovery is not longer widely accepted.
* There are many people who believe that their only problem is alcohol or drugs, and they forget that there were reasons why they feel into addiction in the first place. If these reasons are not dealt with in recovery they can continue to cause problems and lead back to addiction.
* Some individuals turn to addiction substitutes such as workaholism or exercise addiction.
* Some people get sober but continue to spend their time with substance abusers. This means that they are constantly being tempted to return to their old life, and the chances are that one day they will be unable to resist.
* There are many examples of people becoming sober and then falling in with the wrong crowd. Not everyone in recovery is getting better, and dry drunks can pull other people down with them.
* Many people suffer from loneliness in recovery. This is usually because they have not yet had the time to make new friends in recovery to replace the drinking and drugging buddies they left behind.
* Some people take on additional burdens in early sobriety. This means that they become overwhelmed by everything and feel unable to cope.
* There are many individuals who give up one addictive substance but continue to use other mind altering substances.
This is a dangerous game that it almost certain to end badly.