Admitted or not, all of us at one time or another wonder, “What if rehab doesn’t work? What if I or my loved one is doomed to this disease?” It is a life-altering decision; it is a question bound to come up.
Perhaps we are not looking at it from the right perspective, though.
Although it is undoubtedly an uphill battle, addicts and alcoholics have never before been more likely to recover from drug and alcohol addiction than they are today. Resources—both financial and services—are literally just a phone call away. Today, there is hope; whereas in the past, an addict or alcoholic was written off as certainly doomed. The fact that alcoholism and addiction is not an automatic death sentence any longer should give many pause when considering whether or not rehab works.
Socially and culturally, things have changed dramatically as well. The general popular opinion of addicts and alcoholics is now one of compassion. Those who have a loved one or family member who is an addict or alcoholic are not looked down on. Most people see these people for who they are; caring individuals dealing with a sick person. That was not always the case. These days almost everyone knows an addict or alcoholic on some level.
That said…even with all these benefits, long-term recovery is a rare occurrence. Every day is a victory for us. Look at the statistics and it becomes clear why every recovering addict and alcoholic is so elated to make it one more day clean and sober. The numbers do not work in our favor, so especially when we get years under our belts, it makes these miracles all the more spectacular. In this sense, each day in recovery is a day in which said rehab program works
No Gradual Onset
Further, who is to say that a rehab program works or not? Relapses may occur (and statistically, are likely to) after completing a rehab program, but there is a silver lining: the seed has been planted. There is only so long we can continue to go on fooling ourselves before the real addicts and alcoholics among us have to face the facts and realize our lived had become unmanageable. Hopefully, we survive the time in between. The experiences of those relapses very well may be the incidents that convince us beyond any doubt that we have a problem with drinking and using, and that something has to change.
While it may not happen the way we want, there is no question that many have benefitted from rehab programs clean and sober, and some for the rest of their lives. We rarely shied away from things we knew were bad decisions while we were in our disease, so why do we suddenly question and doubt when we start to make some positive changes in ourselves and the world around us?
Does Rehab Work?
What is your experience? Did rehab work for you? Let’s hear the stories in the comments section below!
Snorting powdered alcohol sounds like it might be a cool novelty for practicing alcoholics. It is not. Because alcohol is naturally a liquid that evaporates, artificial means have to be used to convert the liquid into a solid powder.