Drug Addiction Recovery Rates

Drug addiction recovery rates make for depressing reading. In general, addiction recovery rates are very low, though these statistics depend on the drug itself, some being harder to escape than others. As a matter of course, institutions such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Addiction hold that several methods of treatment, such as medication as well as outpatient cognitive therapy, must be used at the same time in order to maximize the chances of recovery.

Identification

• According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, recovery from addition is defined as not returning to dependence for five years after one has completed a rehabilitation program of some kind.

Expert Insight

• In 1998, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration funded a study about rates of recovery for different drugs. The two drugs where relapse rates were extremely high were alcohol and heroin--86 percent and over 90 percent respectively. Cocaine has a relapse rate of 55 percent, while crack (a form of cocaine) has a much higher relapse rate of 84 percent. The highest rates of recovery are to be found among inhalants and hallucinogens, where only about 40 percent will relapse within the five year frame. For all narcotics taken together, including legal pain pills that are abused, the relapse rate is 69 percent.

Types of Recovery Programs

• Generally speaking, NIDA cites three specific types of strategies for rehabilitation. The first is mere detoxification, where a substitute drug is used in place of the harmful one to control withdrawal symptoms. Secondly, there are cogitative methods that encourage coping skills in patients. Cognitive methods stress mental motivation and the use of reason to stop relapses. Third, there are inpatient programs that are highly structured and intense processes that are aimed at changing attitudes and behaviors. These vary in length of treatment, but in general, the use of all three, or at least two of these methods, are central in staving off the addictive drug.

Features of Relapse

• Major rehabilitation communities such as Sober Place have identified five reasons for the failure of drug treatment programs. These include a lack of long-term planning, the refusal to see the underlying psychological causes of addiction, the absence of coping skills, remaining in unhealthy relationships and low self-esteem.

Solutions

• In a 2009 report, NIDA cites several things that are absolutely central for drug recovery, the lack of which explains the depressing relapse numbers. Among other things, maintaining treatment for the requisite amount of time is absolutely critical for recovery. In addition, psychological counseling is also centrally important as a form of monitoring the patient, a process that is for the long term. Lastly, the treatment program itself must be assessed continually for its appropriateness to the patient. In short, the constant monitoring of the patient is centrally important for recovery.