Stepaway News Blog

Many people assume that ‘addicts’ or ‘alcoholics’ are only slaves to their addiction because of personal choice.

We criticise their relapse and judge people for their lack of commitment to their recovery.

Addiction has been classified as a chronic medical illness; as the prolonged use of drugs or the long-term excessive use of alcohol begins to cause changes in your body and brain chemistry.

Because it is a chronic disease of the brain it can and must be treated as one, just as we would treat diseases such as diabetes or asthma which change the physiological workings of the body and brain.

When examining the most expensive rehabilitation treatments, their selected therapies and how successful they are, a few celebrities’ addicted to licit/illicit substances and their failed attempts to stay clean come to mind.

Does the price of the addiction treatment guarantee you a successful recovery?

A popular belief is that a disease such as addiction can be simply overcome through ‘talk therapies’ such as the 12 step programme Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

Yes, talk therapies are conceivably some of the most effective therapies used largely because they teach the vital coping mechanisms and skills needed to effectively deal with stress and other addiction related issues.

However using them alone may leave room for relapse, explaining why the success rate for first time recovery is currently only 20-30 percent in any addiction treatment programme. 

Many patients recover after subsequent treatments, but with such alarming statistics it’s not surprising that many people think alcohol and drug addiction treatments are ineffective.

The correlation between low drug and alcohol rehabilitation success rates and the types of approaches being used by professional throughout the addiction rehabilitation and recovery process means somewhere something is wrong.

At Step Away Rehabilitation Centre we address addiction holistically using medication, talk therapies, and extensive aftercare and support. For this reason we have seen success rates far in excess of the norm.

We concentrate on all facets of addiction and by adopting and utilising this system we have been successful in aiding and supporting individuals through their recovery, helping them to stay focussed on the importance of their sobriety and assisting them to adjust back into society and sober living.