Recovery From Drugs Addiction

Recovering From Addiction - Some Rehabs May Contribute to High Relapse Rates

By Thomas Rees

Blaming high relapse rates on rehabs sounds much like any addict's excuse and need to push the blame for failure on someone else -- and who better than the actual facility designed to treat that addict. So when the addict goes through treatment and relapses it must be that there was some flaw in the treatment program, right? Well in some cases actually, I believe the answer really is a slid "Yes". Here is why:

Every rehab for drug and alcohol abuse problems in the country -- and if not the rehab itself but the AA meetings you attend while in rehab -- will at some point relay the specific relapse statistics. Generally a counselor or the AA members will tell you that 9 out of 10 people you are going through a 30, 60, or 90 day program with will relapse.

That is an accepted figure in the industry -- that you are going to see about a 90% lapse rate for people going through initial or early treatment. Generally the reason for this is that most people take the hardest step of all to get to rehab --they admit they have some type of substance problem ranging from alcohol to prescription pills to hard core illegal drugs that has gotten out of control. In AA or 12 step programs the notion is "life became unmanageable and I came to realize I needed help". Accepting the fact that you needed help in the first place is a gigantic step in the right direction.All counselors and seasoned AA fellows will congratulate a newcomer for arriving at that decision, and rightfully so.

The problem arises in that 90% relapse number, and that figure really applies to those people who get admitted for treatment, serve their time, so to speak, and then leave a program feeling like they have done the work to get better, and whenever the program for them ends, they believe they are "good to go", and this is where I feel some blame falls on the rehab facilities' shoulders.

Many of them give you a medallion or a certificate or some other symbol that "you've made it" or "graduated" by successfully making it through the prescribed program. The fact is, one learns alot in treatment, and almost always gains "tools" to deal with his or her problem. The longer you stay in treatment, the more you may be able to fill your tool bag -- but there is a big problem with this.

You are let go back out into the world where there's a liquor store and a drug dealer on any corner, and you have not had any time to actually test your tools to make sure they work, much less know if you have all the tools you need, and it's true that because of this relapse rates are unacceptably high.

A subject that often arises in treatment is that of sober living. Sober living allows for a newly sober person to live in houses that have at least some nominal structure and differing requirements, but all have one basic tenet that's the same and that everybody must live by -- they must stay sober and they are tested frequently to make sure that's the case. Sober living allows somebody to experience life's stressors outside of treatment, but to ideally live in a house where everyone is experiencing similar issues and can provide support for one another.This is naturally a much "safer" environment than that which one would face at home, and a better platform from which to experiment with one's tools.

The success rates are much, much, higher for sober living residents in terms of NOT relapsing. The longer they can do sober living, ranging from a minimum of three months to a year, the higher their success rates get for NOT relapsing. I experienced this firsthand where after my first rehab I bolted home feeling great about myself, but three months later began slipping right back into old habits. It took another 10 years to get back to treatment. The 2nd time, after my habits had gotten much worse, I realized I had to do something different and my family -- not the treatment center -- insisted that I do sober living, so I did.

After 6 months in sober living, I began to change and after using the tools I had learned, I began to truly realize life could be fun and great and everything I wanted without drugs and alcohol -- but it took 6 months of sober living, and at that point I realized how valuable it was and decided I could use more of it and help others at the same time, so I opened a few houses and lived on one of the properties. 6 years later, I can honestly tell you it was sober living that unlocked true sobriety for me -- and the treatment centers know this is the case.

I think those centers that give you the graduation parties or symbolic congratulatory gifts contribute to relapse by enabling anybody to think they have gained enough just by treatment to "make it". There should be a much stronger "push" for sober living where they are honest with people and prepare them as early as in the intake process that to go to sober living is critical to truly complete treatment if they want the odds for staying sober to be in their favor.

So the title of this article stands if you believe that the idea of "graduating" should be abolished in favor of mandating sober living as a part of anyone's overall treatment program. Rather, it is presented sometime during one's treatment program as sort of an "add-on" thing that would be advised. But no strong emphasis and weight to the degree sober living MUST be part of one's program is promoted strongly enough. After the patient is feeling better on his or her 10th day or whenever this "add-on" idea is presented, it's too late. The patient already has focused his or her sights on an exit date -- and they are generally not going to be receptive to the idea.

It's a shame, and the whole point of insisting that at rehabs some of the blame for high relapse rates is theirs is simply to suggest the treatment facility must change with regards to how sober living and halfway housing is presented and emphasized -- moreso at some drug and alcohol treatment programs than others -- but it must change.

My name is Thomas Rees and I am originally from New York, now living in Los Angeles. I quit my 18 year career on Wall Street and doing a radio show to pursue ventures that can help make a difference in people's lives who suffer from mood disorders and or substance abuse as I did. I suffered a severe midlife crisis after my divorce, and can identify with people stricken with depression.

Clinical depression is a living hell on earth -- and I endured it for many years before being hospitalized to get better. I'm now treated for depression and anxiety. I'm grateful to have my life back, better than ever. I really feel that sober living makes the difference between relapsing frequently or not, and that after going to a treatment center one should definitely take some time in this venue. I have launched a massive site with 7000 houses listed so people can find the nearest sober living or halfway house in their neighborhood! Come visit Sober Living Halfway House Search.

You can find my blog at Depression, Anxiety, and Addiction. Look for the Endorphin deficiency post and it has the website I was talking about. If someone in your family has a mood disorder or a possible addiction, you should find the blog very helpful. I'm not selling anything but honesty.

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