There have been few widespread studies into the success rates of drug rehab programs, but this is not due to any lack of information. The truth is that there are many types of drug rehab programs with varying success rates, and in many cases, the success or failure of a given program depends on the addict’s level of seriousness and commitment. Even the best inpatient drug rehab program in the world is no match for a drug user who hasn’t accepted that they have a problem or is just not ready to face up to it, so any stats would be misleading.
With that said, it is believed that drug rehab programs in general have a success rate between 50 and 75%. The dogma in the recovery community is that most people relapse at least once, and a certain percentage of recovered addicts get so off-track that they eventually have to go through rehab all over again. But if the patient is genuinely committed to quitting, this won’t be a problem.
Here are a few things you can do to increase the chances that your inpatient drug rehab program will have success:
- Take it seriously. Some aspects of your inpatient drug rehab may seem unnecessary. But if you’ve chosen a good facility, you can have faith in your doctors and care professionals. They’ve dealt with many people in your condition, and they know what works and what doesn’t. Even if it feels somewhat unproductive at times, take it seriously.
- Remember the bad side of drugs. As you get further away from your habit, you may feel tempted to sanitize your past. Many people tend to forget about the overwhelmingly negative parts of drug use and instead focus on the few things that were nice about it. This is a huge mistake. In order to move forward, you have to accept that the addicted way of life is not sustainable. If it helps, write down all the bad things about your drug use, and keep your list handy so you do not forget. This is a good thing to do when killing time in inpatient drug rehab.
- Attend support group meetings. If you find yourself thinking that you are not the type of person who would benefit from support group meetings, don’t let this deter you. The fact is that there is no specific type of person that support groups are designed for, and you are not the first person to feel a little awkward and out of place in the first few meetings. You don’t have to be religious, you don’t have to be a big talker, and you don’t even have to be a particularly friendly person. Just keep going to your meetings, and you will find that they do help.
- No relapsing, no exceptions. If you ask recovering addicts who have had relapses, most will tell you that the relapse started as a supposedly one-time incident that got out of hand. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can get high once or twice “for old time’s sake” and still come out clean. It rarely works out that way.
- Address other issues. If you have any mental health issues that have contributed to your addiction, now is the time to see a doctor and get to the bottom of your problems. Therapy is another aspect of inpatient drug rehab that may seem silly at first, but stick with it and it really will help.
