Addiction Recovery Statistics

Recovery statistics can teach you a lot about how others have achieved long-term abstinence from drugs, alcohol or addictive behaviors like gambling or compulsive sex. Take a look at the factors that influence success rates as you develop your own recovery strategies:

• Participation in self-help groups. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 45 percent of addicts who attended self-help groups like Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous reported that they hadn’t used in the past 30 days. Available through outpatient rehab facilities, inpatient centers or community-based programs, self-help groups offer a support system for the addict who’s coping with the realities of a sober life.
  
  
• Specialized rehab programs. Out of the 45 percent of drug users in the NSDUH survey who relied on self-help groups to support their abstinence, almost 33 percent had received addiction treatment within the past 12 months. Addiction treatment may include outpatient recovery services, inpatient rehab, residential treatment or supervised medication therapy.
  
  
• Pharmaceutical support. American Family Physician notes that recovery rates for opiate addiction are bleak; up to 90 percent of those who are addicted to heroin or other opioids relapse within six months if they detox on their own. But with anti-addiction medications like buprenorphine or methadone, recovery success rates are considerably higher.
  
  
• Emotional development and important life events. The Journal of Studies on Alcohol found that emotional maturity may play a role in the success of recovery from alcohol addiction. Positive events like getting married, getting a job and becoming a parent increased recovery rates in a group of alcoholics. Many addicts develop emotional maturity as part of the recovery process itself as they learn about the causes of their addiction and discover healthy ways to live without drugs, alcohol or addictive behaviors.
  
  

The severity of your addiction, the extent of your support system, age, gender and co-occurring health conditions can also affect recovery rates. For many addicts, finding a rehabilitation program that addresses their physical, emotional and spiritual needs is the key to long-term abstinence.