Myth Demystified: Recovered Addicts Less Prone to New Addiction
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Because of high relapse rates, most people tend to assume that however effective the recovery is for addicted patients, they will most likely turn to new addictions after getting clean. Recent studies, however, debunks that myth. Clinical psychiatrists and researchers revealed that recovered patients are less likely to adopt new addictions, compared to people who never managed the first substance abuse issues. Breaking the Myth Researchers
examined
nationally
representative figures from surveys conducted in 2001
and
2004.
They
assessed
how
new
substance addiction happened among adults who had at least one substance addiction. The
study
looked
at
almost
35,000
participants and their drug behavior. Among those participants, almost 3,275 people who struggled with addiction problems at the first interview, did not recover by the second assessment. On the other hand, approximately 2,741 people who also claimed they struggle with addiction problems, had overcome their addiction by the second interview. In the follow-up interview, around 20% developed a new addiction. This number, however, represents 27% of participants who have never reallyrecovered from their original addiction and the 13% of those who managed to get clean. Because of this, the researchers concluded that those who had overcome their substance abuse issues between the two assessments were less prone to new addiction, compared to those who had not.
Striving for Lasting Change The
researchers
findings
should
said serve
that
the
as
an
encouragement to people battling substance abuse issues. It should give them the motivation to pursue the road to recovery to reduce the risk for new addictions. For the public, the researchers hope to reduce the
stigma attached
to
recovering addicted patients. One of the reasons most patients fail to get out of the addiction cycle is the cynical perspective that addiction is just a part of their personality.To be successful in recovery, one must start with conditioning the mind. At treatment centers, they use a range of therapies to train the mind into adopting healthier thought patterns. Therapists also impart compelling reasons to pursue recovery, along with skills and strategies. Relapse prevention is difficult, but definitely possible.With the right therapy to support intentions of getting clean, one can achieve full recovery.
RESOURCES: http://www.renaissanceoutpatient.com/outpatient-programs/substance-abuse http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/drug-abuse-and-addiction.htm http://www.everydayhealth.com/addiction/understanding-addiction-relapse.aspx