Inspiring and Motivational Rehab Success Statistics
- Mandy Sandhu
- 12 Dec 2022
When we read about addiction statistics, we usually see depressing numbers and varying degrees of negativity. While their purpose is to paint a picture of the severity of substance abuse, this can actually cause more anxiety and shame to a person seeking addiction treatment.
What some data fails to report is what happens during and after treatment. There’s a lot of rehab success statistics that proves recovery is possible for everyone!
“When you make a choice, you change the future.”— Deepak Chopra.
Rehab Success Statistics Prove That There’s Life After Addiction
We hope that after seeing these numbers, you or your loved one would be motivated to take the first step to recovery. There’s no reason to lose hope or give up on yourself or your loved one, because according to these rehab success statistics, freedom from addiction is possible!
1. Abstinence and Recovery Keeps you Sharp
Addiction can significantly alter brain function to where a patient becomes debilitated. Deficits in brain function can affect fluency, working memory, reasoning, response, social function, cognition, and decision-making skills.
During recovery, your brain will be able to heal from damage due to excessive substance use. In many cases, these damages can be reversed.
One study even found that recovery can help restore motor and verbal memory function back to normal levels. The earlier you quit, the sooner you can restore the cognitive capabilities of your brain. And with healthy habits, who knows, you might even develop new skills!
2. Fewer Health Issues
Addiction does not only affect the brain, it can attack the 10 major organ systems as well. It is almost always certain that someone with addiction will need medication for other health problems. During rehabilitation, you will undergo detoxification treatment.
As the harmful substance is flushed out of your system, your body will start to recuperate and your chances of developing complications are reduced. Here are some rehab success statistics to show how recovery is advantageous for health and well-being:
Rehab Success Statistics: Health During Active Addiction vs. During Recovery
Issue |
Country | Addiction | Recovery |
Frequently attend emergency department |
Canada Australia U.K. U.S. |
25% 31% 39% 22% |
1% 7% 5% 3% |
Frequently uses non-emergency healthcare services |
Canada Australia U.K. U.S. |
21% 42% 53% 27% |
18% 20% 17% 14% |
Experience untreated emotional or health problems |
Canada Australia U.K. U.S. |
74% 84% 76% 68% |
13% 34% 32% 15% |
Table 23. McQuaid, R.J., Malik, A., Moussouni, K., Baydack, N., Stargardter, M., & Morrisey, M. (2017). Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada. Ottawa, Ont.: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
3. Sobriety Leads to at Least 1 MAJOR Achievement
One study shows that around 80% of drug and alcohol addiction survivors accomplished at least one major achievement in civic, economic, or personal areas of their lives during recovery.
Since survivors were able to overcome their addiction and have success in one or more aspects, their self-esteem, happiness and overall quality of life also improved, helping further their recovery. A recent Canadian survey on life in recovery also returned a satisfactory report, stating 91% of recovering addicts have a very positive quality of life, with:
- 96% having stable housing;
- 94% being able to pay bills on time; and
- 90% actively participating in family activities.
4. Relapse Rate for Addiction is LOWER than Rates for Other Chronic Illnesses
Addiction is a chronic disease; hence, treatment and lifestyle modification are necessary to recover from it.
As a complex condition, addiction has several risk factors that can easily derail a person in recovery and veer them off-track. While some of these factors are difficult to avoid, such as genetics, many external and internal factors, such as peer-pressured, stress, exposure to the substances, and behaviour can be managed.
Awareness of these risk factors is essential to sobriety.
However, a relapse doesn’t mean outright failure. As a chronic disease, a relapse can be a part of the recovery process, and may mean that the physician needs to modify the patient’s treatment plan.
Relapse Rates for Different Chronic Illnesses
- Addiction: 40-60%
- Type 1 Diabetes: 30-50%
- Hypertension: 50-70%
- Asthma: 50-70%
Despite the potential for relapse, it’s great to know that the relapse rate for addiction is actually lower than the rate for other chronic diseases. Completing an in-patient treatment program also reduces relapse risk. That means greater chances of treatment success and recovery!
5. Patients Can Recover After Two Recovery Attempts
Contrary to what stereotypes will tell us, rehab success statistics indicate that recovery can be achieved in as little as two attempts, showing similar results on drug and alcohol rehab statistics.
While there are outliers with either ultra-mild or extremely severe cases, the results revealed that severe addiction is not the norm. The truth is that most people who undergo rehabilitation can and will recover.
If you’re looking for an extra nudge to start your rehab journey, then this is it! There’s no reason to shy away from treatment when your chances for recovery are great and the benefits arrive as soon as you start.
Rehab Success Statistics May Soon Include Your Own Recovery
While statistics are often representative of the majority and may provide a good preview of what’s to come, each addiction case is unique to the individual. So, if you see negative numbers, don’t hyperfocus on them. You could very well be a part of rehab success statistics.
The key is to keep a positive attitude and to adhere to your treatment plan. Let Freedom From Addiction help you with that process. Our specialized programs will not only help you detox, but also aid in your harm reduction with trauma-informed care.
If you’re ready to get your life back, call us now or leave a message. We’ll do everything to make your rehab story a successful one.