Recovery Management

I’m often asked what is the success rate in treatment. When I first started working in treatment decades ago, a counselor once answered that question by saying the success rate is 100%. He said he successfully gives a Recovery Management Plan to every client who’s completed treatment, and when they follow that plan they don’t return to alcohol, cocaine, meth, opiates or whatever drug was the person’s choice.

Some people follow the plan and others don’t. Time and again I’ve asked clients what happened, who return to treatment after relapsing, and the bottom line answer is they didn’t follow the Recovery Management Plan. Addiction is treatable, and anyone suffering from addiction can recover, unless they have some kind of cognitive disorder that prevents them from following a recovery plan.

Also, not everyone coming into treatment believes they have a condition that’s so serious they need to follow a long term Recovery Management plan. They think the drug use just got away from them and, now that they’ve cleared up and are feeling healthy, they’ll be more careful and will control their drinking or drug use. In treatment we give everyone information on addiction — we help each client look at the reality of their drug use and the consequences. Education is a big part of treatment, but, still, there are those who don’t think the information applies to them. Many addicts have died from what we used to call “terminal uniqueness”. 

The reality is that when a person’s predisposed to addiction, it doesn’t matter what that person or anyone else thinks or believes or wishes for, if the person continues to drink or use, the addiction will progress and consequences will follow — in most cases the person dies a premature death and suffers years before dying. So, when we give someone a Recovery Management Plan, it’s not just a suggestion for a little self improvement around the edges, it’s a plan to deal with a medical condition that’s insidious, destructive and deadly. You can look up the statistics online. This is the reality we deal with. The most amazing statistic of all is that only about 10% of those who need treatment receive treatment. 90% of all people suffering from addiction never receive treatment. Anyone who makes it to the point they receive a Recovery Plan should be grateful they have a way out.