Alarming Data
About Addiction

Lots of people in the field of addiction and alcoholism treatment refer to "statistics". You'll hear them talk about relapse percentages, treatment success rates, varying definitions of stages of recovery... Addicts and treatment professionals come up with bizarre ways quantify just about anything you might measure.

At Sober Champion, our sober coaches and sober companions know the cut-and-dry facts of addiction and treatment. We have our experience on which to draw, and we know the data. Unfortunately, the numbers are not good.

Here are some verifiable statistics about addiction recovery (AOD: alcohol or other drug):

• Most people with AOD-related problems do not seek help through mutual aid or professional treatment (Kessler, 1994; Cunningham, 1999; Cunningham & Breslin, 2004).
• Less than half of those admitted to publicly funded addiction treatment successfully complete treatment (SAMHSA, 2002; Stark, 1992).
• Well over 50% of those discharged from treatment resume AOD in less than 12 months (Wilbourne & Miller, 2003), most within 30-90 days of discharge (Hubbard, Flynn, Craddock & Fletcher, 2001).
• Recoveries from severe AOD problems are not fully stabilized (point at which the risk of future lifetime relapse drops below 15%) until between four to five years of sustained remission (Vaillant, 1996; Dawson, 1996; Jin, Rourke, Patterson, et al, 1998) or longer for some patterns (e.g., opiate addiction) (Hser, Hoffman, Grella, & Anglin, 2001).

There are many other pieces of data, clinical and anecdotal, which point up the need for treatment to continue after a person has completed a course of residential treatment. A qualified Sober Coach understands that an individual who spent years learning and reinforcing the patterns of addiction will require years of additional help to understand and cope with the world drug-free. A Sober Companion will provide the necessary help to maintain abstinence from mood- and mind-altering substances no matter how long you have been clean -- and not matter what your reasons for remaining abstinent.

Remember this: individuals who use our service depend on us to be their advocates, their guideposts, and their professional partners in living life without the use of drugs and alcohol. A Sober Companion is ready to help you whenever and for however long it takes to get the job done.

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