Program effectiveness

[Kevin Wilson]

What programs or models are available for relapse prevention and what are their success rates?

[Brighty]

I am very happy to hear of your success. It gives me hope that my daughter will one day be in the place you are now in. I am going to download your post and print it for her. She is in long term treatment right now. What you say about self esteem is the core issue. I too,  believe that without treating the underlying cause it is nearly impossible to stay clean. And to prove your point we just learned that our daughter suffered a sexual assault at age 5 that we never knew about. She finally came out with it 3 months ago. She is getting intensive counseling for this. She believes that now it's out in the open she can learn to live without drugs which were covering her pain and shame. Thanks for your caring comments and all the best to you.

[Sherri]

Kevin,  I agree with what Brighty said.  (She has such a wonderful way of putting things and she's really well educated in all this.  We should all be so lucky to have a Mom like her!)

In my humble opinion - and based on my own experience, I believe that until you fill that "hole" inside you - the one the drugs or whatever substance you are abusing is filling/masking - you won't stay clean.  For me - and from what I've read here, it seems to be true of many addicts - the drugs were filling a need inside, they were a substitute for issues I didn't want to, or had never dealt with. (They did however, start out as a real, legitimate need.  I had debilitating migraines.)  After rehab, I went to a lot of counseling and finally dealt with all those issues.  Then I went back to school and finished my degree.  I filled that "hole" with good old self-esteem - something I never had.  The drugs were just "patches" or band-aids on that hole.  This time, I repaired it - really fixed it.  Now there is no need to use/abuse.  (I used to get my self esteem from a bottle of pills.  To me, wealth was a full bottle of 100 pills with 3 re-fills.)  Sure, I sometimes miss "that feeling" - I loved being high and feeling no pain.  But that was only artificial, and it didn't last long.  And I DON'T miss all the problems it caused me.  I remember the hell I put myself and my family through - I remember my "bottom" - and I never, ever want to be in that place again.  

Anyway - that's what worked for me.  And it will be 5 years this October.  I did go to meetings at first, but they didn't really help me.  Being a prescription addict, I didn't have much in common with their experiences.  I never "hung out" in places and popped pills with my friends.  It's a very solitary, secretive  type addiction.  I even called the Betty Ford Center once and asked them what meetings they send their prescription addicts to.  They said there wasn't any special one - some places do have a "Pills Anonymous," but they just usually recommend AA or NA.  To be honest, I've gotten more from this forum than I ever did sitting in a meeting.

Hope this helps answer your question.  If Brighty's right (and again, I think she is) and you're writing a paper - how about posting it for the rest of us to see.
Good luck!

[Brighty to Kevin]

I think your question is one of the best that's been asked in a very long time. As you see from this forum, addiction is rampant and the percentage of involuntary addiction created by prescription meds is at the top of the spectrum. I have been searching for the answer to your question for quite awhile. I think the classic model is the 12 step program which is relapse prevention based on religious attendance of NA/AA meetings and the corresponding spiritual development or self awakening process of practicing the 12 steps. They seem to have a high success rate but I would not be deceived by that. I don't think any program anywhere accurately tracks numbers of people who stay clean. There is no reporting system that can account for the countless thousands of people around the world who stay clean and nobody is monitoring. I just think it's safe to say that NA/AA have the highest attendance rate and thus we can see the amount of success. Support groups are the best way I know of to prevent relapse... they keep a person actively involved in staying aware and into their recovery. Actually if you have ever been to a 'rehab' you will find that relapse prevention can be taught very easily... but practicing it takes a lifetime of hard work. Now to my opinion... opinion based on observation and searching.... there is always an underlying cause of continuing drug use and I don't know of ANY program that spends more time on psychotherapy than on relapse prevention skills. This is unfortunate.  There is a program called Narconon which does not use the 12 step... they brag an 85% success rate after 5 years and that too is deceptive to me. They seem to spend the most time on the pain under the addiction than most other programs and that seems good.They also use a body cleanse, nutrition and exercise. They are growing in popularity. They claim to have high success with opiate addicts and that may be due to the amount of time they spend uncovering the underlying reason for using.  There are also Rational Recovery and Smart Recovery which are similar and they do not base their program on any type of spirituality. They have the common sense and practical approach. They are not dogmatic. I would not undermine the truth they offer since the fact is that countless numbers of people clean up on their own. They just don't report in to anyone. Very personally, my opinion only.. I do not believe in the theory of the "dry drunk" and actually find it very offensive. Then you have to remember that even 12 step programs vary in their approach. The famous "Daytop" programs or "Phoenix House" programs are very in your face confrontational and can be very destructive to some individuals. Some people do seem to need that 'boot camp' approach. They do not accept persons with a dual diagnosis since  the corresponding mental health problems do not allow a person to be verbally confronted so harshly. These programs are state funded and also accept court ordered persons so alot of the attendees are from the prison system. The good thing is that they are "long term" and it is common for a person to be able to stay for a year and have the services of job training and integration back into the community. Regular insurance programs are over in 28 days and the expectation is to continue with support and recovery groups when the person gets home. I believe that the best program is wasted until a person wants to be clean more than anything else. When that happens I think any program will turn out a "success". Frankly, the desire to be clean and finding an inner spirituality is probably all that is really needed. You asked !!!! Anyway, I have this idea you are writing a paper or something... so good luck.

[Gene to Joanne]

The answer to your question is what I have heard over & over again - AA or NA have the highest success rate of relapse prevention.  It takes a lot of time & effort to go to regular meetings but these gatherings & the people there seem to offer the best scenario for staying sober.

[FROM JO TO KIM]

I dont know where you live but I have a councelor herein my town that have credits that include; c.a.d.c.II C.R.P.S.
Try to find someone who specializes in relaps.. This man has saved my life. Others like him do exsist.
Good Luck to you.