“There are about twenty controlled research studies that have been conducted since the late 1980s to examine the various types of help available following the completion of residential or outpatient treatment. They suggest that interventions lasting at least twelve months or in which greater efforts were made to reach and engage clients—for instance by visiting the home, approaching clients by telephone calls, use of incentives such as money, or involving significant others—appeared to be the most effective. And two studies showed that “recovery management checkups” can help get people back in treatment when needed and significantly increased days of abstinence following treatment.” - Anne M. Fletcher. “Inside Rehab.” One of the few consistent findings in addiction treatment research over the past 30 years is that people have better treatment outcomes the longer they stay engaged in treatment (Simpson, 1979; Simpson, Joe, Fletcher, Hubbard, & Anglin, 1999; Siegal, Li, & Rapp, 2002). Therefore, our primary goal is to keep your son engaged in the recovery process over time. Successful, long-term recovery requires a long term approach. - Of the people admitted to the U.S. public treatment system in 2003, 64% were re-entering treatment (including 23% for the second time, 22% 3-4 times, and 19% 5 or more times) (OAS, 2005). - The majority of individuals discharged from addiction treatment will relapse within 3 to 12 months after discharge, most within 30-90 days (Wilbourne & Miller, 2003; Hubbard, (Flynn, Craddock, & Fletcher, 2001; Scott et al., 2005b). Instability of recovery continues throughout the early years of recovery (Scott et al., 2005a). - Post-treatment recovery outcomes are compromised by the low rate of participation in continuing care activities following discharge and the substantial drop-out rate of recovery support group participation in the year following treatment (McKay, 2001). Findings such as those above have prompted leading researchers to speak of addiction and treatment “careers” (Anglin et al., 1997), which calls for the reconceptualization of addiction as a chronic disorder on par with cancer, diabetes, asthma, and hypertension (McLellan et al., 2000; Scott & Dennis, 2006; Dennis & Scott, in press), and advocates a shift to models of sustained recovery management similar to those used in the treatment of other chronic diseases (White et al., 2002). What are some of the factors contributing to the chronic nature of addiction? - Prolonged complex service histories are especially prevalent when addiction is accompanied by medical, psychiatric, and other problems—a significant finding given the high rate of co-occurring disorders among those entering addiction treatment. Relative to people with lower severity, those who have more chronic substance use disorders are characterized by: - Greater personal vulnerability (e.g., family history of AOD problems, early age of onset of AOD use/problems, developmental trauma), - Greater problem severity (e.g., amount of use, number of abuse/ dependence symptoms), - Greater problem complexity (e.g., co-occurring medical/psychiatric illness, personal and environmental) Lower recovery capital (e.g., fewer internal and external assets that can be used to initiate and sustain recovery) (White et al., 2002). sustainablerecovery.net
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:17:02 +0000