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Road to Recovery

Mistaken Belief #1

Mistaken Belief #2

Mistaken Belief #3

Mistaken Belief #4

Mistaken Belief #5

Mistaken Belief #6

Mistaken Belief #7

Mistaken Belief #8

Mistaken Belief #9

Mistaken Belief #10

Mistaken Belief #11

Mistaken Belief #12

Mistaken Belief #13

Mistaken Belief #14

Mistaken Belief #15

Mistaken Belief #16

Mistaken Belief #17

 By: Terry Gorski with additions by: Lee Jamison

A MISTAKEN BELIEF IS SOMETHING THAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE TRUE AND ACT AS IF IT WERE TRUE WHEN, IN FACT, IT IS FALSE.

Mistaken Belief #11: If you do not maintain sobriety, it is because you have not worked the recovery program made available to you in treatment because current treatment methods are 100% effective.

Fact: Much of the currently available treatment for chemical dependency has proved to be effective about 20 to 40% of the time. This means that it has not been effective 60 to 80% of the time. Patients cannot be blamed for that rate of failure.

This statement is not meant to be critical of treatment programs or AA/NA. Alcohol and drug addiction treatment is always improving. It is much more effective than it was fifty years ago. Then treatment using a “mental-health model” was 98% ineffective. Currently alcohol and drug addiction treatment is becoming much more effective treating alcoholism and drug addiction as a disease. But the fact is that many alcoholics and drug addicts fail to recover even after attempting sobriety by using AA/NA, professional treatment and counseling, or combinations thereof.

In our research we have talked with hundreds of alcoholics and addicts who have worked hard at AA/NA and treatment but still failed to stay sober. It is important that we remember that there are still some people who are sicker than others. These people experience severe and disabling symptoms when they attempt sobriety. They may have co-existing health problems or illness that leave them in a state of chronic pain. They may have serious mental or emotional problems that interfere with sobriety. They need something more than primary treatment (over and over again) to bring about long term sobriety.

The belief that treatment is 100% effective fosters a feeling of hopelessness and the belief that nothing can help you. This belief produces the “professional patient” who learns how to “go through the motions” of treatment because it is familiar. They often do not seek other forms of treatment or help.

If you have failed to stay sober with the treatment you have gotten so far, or through your involvement in AA/NA do not give up hope. Roll up your sleeves and try again. But, this time, find a treatment program or AA/NA sponsor that has knowledge of relapse prevention planning.