"Medical detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use."

One misconception rampant among addicts, alcoholics and their families is that, once freed of the acute addiction, the addicts or alcoholic will return to a "normal" lifestyle. The idea is that, once he/she understands just what kind of wreckage has been caused, there will be no desire to ever return to using or drinking.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In fact, one of the most on-point pieces of professional guidance is supplied by the NIDA in the following paragraph from their Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment:

"Medical detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping drug use. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment..."

Truly effective, long-term treatment demands complete abstinence from all mood and mind altering substances. Without this commitment to recovery from addiction or alcoholism, no real lasting progress will be seen.