Can a drug rehab program really help a struggling addict to get clean from drugs?  What is the key to long term success in recovering from drug addiction?  Is it worth it to try to go to a program for drug rehab at all, or is it a waste of money?

These are all legitimate questions, especially considering the lousy success rates that most drug rehabs put up.  Addiction is a very difficult problem to overcome and therefore the success rates might always be somewhat low in the substance abuse industry.  Some treatment centers try to inflate their numbers, and they typically do this by eliminating most of the people who relapse from their sample through disqualification.  They might disqualify someone because they did not attend long term treatment, for example.  So this can distort the success rates of treatment and make them appear to be even better than they really are.  In fact, even then, they do not appear to look so great.

So is rehab worth it at all?  Yes it is.  Everyone who has the willingness to go to treatment should definitely go, regardless of the cost.  Rehab is expensive, but so is continuing to use drugs.  In fact, the cost of doing nothing about your problem is so high, that virtually any cost for rehab is justified.  It makes sense to go to rehab, because the payoff has nearly infinite value.  If you do manage to stay clean, then you will be rewarded a thousand times over, and the rehab will pay for itself in a very short period of time.  This is because drug addict typically spend thousands of dollars each year on their addiction, some spending in the tens of thousands.

If you do go to rehab, it is likely that you will be exposed to a 12 step program such as AA or NA.  If so, this may be the answer that you need in your life, and you might be able to stay clean and sober by attending those meetings.  If so then that is great, you have your solution and you should run with it.  But many people do not respond well to such a program, and they will need to get creative in order to find recovery.  It is possible outside of a traditional program, but you have to be willing to push yourself to grow holistically and seek personal growth in many areas of your life.