what do we do about drug addiction today? pt.2

As I stated in the previous segment there are many problems with the world of drug addiction treatment. But a lot of people out there would say that despite its deficiencies, these programs are making a difference. They are better than nothing in other words. The twelve step programs and rehab centers have helped unknown numbers of alcoholics and addicts (emphasis on unknown.) Ultimately there is no way to determine how effective these programs really are. A group of recovering addicts in a given institution will "graduate" from the program with however many days of sobriety the program lasts. Say its 48. Usually a group will graduate at the same time. Then it is up to each of them to continue some kind of program. There will be "aftercare" programs, but the support lessens the longer it is from graduation time. Usually a few will fall off right away, but a lot of counselors will base their success on the number of people who make it to a year of sobriety. This is a way to measure, for after a year, sobriety becomes easier according to the medical world. Still I have only really seen a fraction of addicts make it that long. More often then not a new patient to a program will have already been through one or more of them. From my experiences at MPI and CDRP, I would guess out of the group of 15 to 20 that graduated at or around the time I did, only two would make it to a year.

1 out of ten is probably being generous, but lets say that is it. This is not a good recovery rate. I started noticing how bad my odds were when I was nearing the end of my treatment program. It seemed to me at first that rehab was like a cure, and these people around me, strangers, have been so forthcoming with their deficiencies and worked so hard that most of them would stay sober for a long time. But as they left, fewer and fewer would come back for aftercare. I would ask about some and hear that nobody had heard from them since they left. Some had relapses and came back to admit it. That was a hard thing to do, but even for them the prospect of starting over, not to mention the costs of a place like MPI, are too much to deal with. Even a few came around secretly asking other patients if they knew where they could get drugs. It paints a pretty dismal picture.

Another issue people who like to think might have with drug rehab methods is that everybody, no matter what their substance of choice, is grouped together. And yet there are strange exceptions to the rule. For one, not a lot of facilities will disallow tobacco. The twelve step programs are abstinence based yet they never make mention of tobacco. Of course you cold say that I would rather have a pilot have 5 cigarettes before flying than to have five drinks. Sure, but we are not all pilots and we are not all facing the same standards. The truth is cigarettes are the most deadly and most addictive substance by far. But they are legal, and our society accepts that they need not be part of abstinence from substance use. So what is the actual criteria for being sober. The programs will include abstaining from cocaine, heroin, marijuana, meth amphetamine, prescription medications, alcohol (of course), and any other substance that gets you high besides caffeine and tobacco. Now alcohol is a good one to have on the list for in terms of health it is the worst. Second only to tobacco. The others have very different effects in terms of health and physical addiction. Heroin is very physically addicting and one will feel withdrawal symptoms if trying to quit after two weeks straight of usage. Cocaine though obviously affecting ones physiology does not have clear withdrawal symptoms and is usually not treated with medication like heroin is. Same goes for meth, but I cannot say much about that other than serious meth addicts have trouble staying awake in early recovery. Marijuana is the weakest link in this list of abstention. It is the least damaging to your health and though it is hard to quit, there is no list of symptoms associated with withdrawal. The voters of California along with many other states have decided that it is actually helpful in treating certain illnesses. There is much debate about the potency of "today's" weed, but even strong weed is relatively harmless to humans. Each of these types of substance users have different experiences and I would say different odds for success.