There is a commonly accepted idea that addiction is a lifelong struggle that most fail to overcome. The current opioid epidemic and the media coverage of celebrities whose downfalls are fueled by substance use perpetuate the idea that most people with substance use disorders are likely to fail in recovery. But it’s more common than most people realize for people who battle an addiction to eventually obtain a stable recovery. In part, it depends on how one defines the term. Dr. Thaddeus Camlin spells out the case for addiction being a disorder that is commonly conquered…Richard Juman, PsyD
Many lies taint the integrity of the recovery industry. One of the most insidious of these lies is that most people in recovery fail. This article will challenge the lie that most people fail in recovery on three fronts: the evidence of success, the failure of treatment, and the common but misinformed criteria for success. This article will conclude by offering some evidence-based options to reinforce its primary objectives: to highlight how the recovery industry often fails its customers, and to honor the resilience of those who struggle with and often overcome problematic patterns of substance use.
The evidence of success in recovery is overwhelming. I often hear people toss around arbitrary and unfounded statistics in recovery like, “only 10% of people succeed,” and that deviations from perfect abstinence inevitably lead to “jails, institutions, and death.” The bad news is that “professionals” sometimes contribute to the spread of these unhelpful lies. The good news is that the lie that most people in recovery fail is unequivocally false.
[For more of this story, written by Thaddeus Camlin, go to https://www.thefix.com/stop-bl...or-failure-treatment]
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