Why is it that we are sitting with such a problem concerning drug abuse and addiction nowadays, surely with all our knowledge, medical technology and psychological experience this should not be such a difficult topic to get under control? Well then, why are we getting such poor results when it comes to recovery?
I might not have a degree in the treatment of drug abuse or addiction, but I am more than prepared to say that I have more experience in this field than the majority of the experts who create and design the recovery programs. A lot of these programs are perfect, but they seem to me to be missing something when you look at the recovery statistics.
What is it about drug abuse and addiction which results in these poor recovery statistics? In my humble opinion as a recovering junkie, it is the personal or human factor. All of these methods of treatment and therapy which are used when trying to treat drug abuse and addiction are very clinical, but how many of the people who designed them were in fact addicts themselves?
Have they ever considered that there might be more than simple physical and mental addiction involved when it comes to addressing the issue of drug abuse and addiction? I know I have spent 10 long years coming to terms with the addiction which almost killed me and in the process discovered many aspects of my own addiction which did not fall into the mainstream categories.
There are so many different aspects to drug abuse and addiction which you will not find in a text book or in a thesis as many of the people who have written these books and designed recovery programs have in fact never been to the abyss and needed to find their way back.
Returning from the abyss of drug abuse and addiction is no easy task and there is no quick fix involved, it requires a passion to survive, a will to recover and sheer mental strength and determination in order to get out on the other side alive. Luckily, soon there will be a system which will be designed by a junkie for the junkie in order to stand the best possible chance of recovery.
So before we look at the statistics of drug abuse and addiction recovery and loose all hope for ourselves or our loved ones, let’s focus on what it truly takes to recover from this situation and try ways other than those which only have a 4% success rate.