With the help of a substance abuse treatment professional, the client will develop recovery strategies. Just as the progression of the addiction differs from person to person, the recovery process also differs. Some achieve abstinence and sobriety relatively quickly, while others face a life long struggle. Because of the inherent complexities associated with addiction and recovery, it is important to have realistic expectations about treatment. Studies show that substance abuse treatment works, however, recovery often involves episodes of relapse.
Addiction is a relapsing disorder.
About one-third of the people in treatment achieve a reasonable level of sobriety and recovery within a year. For another third, recovery is a lengthy process characterized by episodes of alcohol or other drug use interspersed with periods of abstinence. The episodes of drinking and drug use often grow shorter and the periods of abstinence grow longer. Concurrently, there is less economic and social drain of institutional and public resources spent in caring for that person while he or she is drinking and using drugs addictively. To Refer or Not Many primary health care and social service providers are ambivalent about making substance abuse treatment referrals because clients frequently deny the extent of their alcohol and other drug use problems.