Substance abuse disorders affect the lives of millions. Substance abuse creates chaos in not only the lives of the addict and alcoholic, but their friends and family as well. Everyone involved can feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.
However, there is hope for both the sufferer and those people affected by their substance abuse. Hope is found through recovery, and recovery often begins with treatment. The makeup of people who choose a drug rehab program to begin their clean and sober journey varies.
There are statistics that categorize people in drug rehab by age and gender. This is the simplest type of information. Your personal privacy rights restrict a lot of information from being made public.
There are also estimated percentages of how many people who choose treatment stay clean and sober. Let’s begin with some general information about the people who choose to enter treatment and then share some additional statistics on people in drug rehab.
The Statistical Face of Addiction
Agencies that track substance abuse disorders in the United States provide some startling statistics. One of the most alarming is the estimated number of people who suffer with some from substance abuse disorder.
This number includes anyone from the age of 12 or older. In one year alone, it is estimated that over 20 million people beyond 12 years old will abuse a substance. This number accounts for over eight percent of the population.
For adults, nearly three-quarters of those who indicated a substance abuse disorder mentioned alcohol as their drug of choice. Nearly half indicated they had a problem with multiple substances.
Young people, and individuals with mental health challenges, are far more likely to suffer from a substance abuse disorder. The seriousness of addiction increases with age. Addiction makes no predisposition to race or gender. Men make up a substantially larger part of the admitted substance abusers.
Nevertheless, many feel the social stigma against females acknowledging an addiction problem distorts these statistics. The numbers of women in treatment who identify as alcohol is nearly double that of males. Drug and alcohol abuse is fairly consistent across the races.
While Native Americans have the largest percentage reporting a substance abuse disorder, all the primary races that make up the United States fall with three percentage points. Now let’s explore who goes to treatment, and what portions of those are successful.
The Statistical Face of Treatment
Attending treatment at a drug rehab is often an essential first stage in recovery. Entering treatment is not a guarantee to lifelong sobriety. Treatment is a place to learn about how to live a different way; a way that does not require drugs and alcohol.
Alcoholism and drug addiction are viewed as a symptom of underlying issues. Many who find their way to treatment have various mental health challenges. These can range from mild depression and anxiety to extreme challenges such as bipolar disorder.
But what about the success statistics for those enter a drug rehab treatment program? That is truly the most important question many struggle addicts and alcoholics would like to know. Can you stay clean and sober by attending treatment? What are your odds?
One statistic to consider first is the one that estimates that over 44,000 people will die this year alone from a drug or alcohol related death. Those statistics cannot be ignored. If you do not want to become part of that statistic, treatment grows increasingly more appealing.
There is also another disturbing statistical estimate. Nearly 90 percent of those who would benefit from a drug rehab treatment program never go. Certainly, those failed opportunities are part of the disturbing number of deaths.
There is also a problem with those who begin treatment, but for whatever reason fail to complete the program. The chances for success plummet. A relapse doesn’t mean failure. If you recover from a relapse and return committed to recovery, you are a success. So how can you improve your chances of success by entering a drug rehab treatment program?
How to Improve Your Own Statistics
You are the statistic that counts. How you work your own recovery program will make the difference in your becoming a positive statistic or a negative one. It is up to you. Here are a few suggestions to help you become a statistic for recovery.
- Ask for Help – This is where every journey in recovery must begin.
- Accept Help – Asking and then not following through will not prove successful.
- Follow Suggestions – It is vital that you follow the suggested recovery program.
- Complete Treatment – Do not quit early. This is a prescription for failure.
- Stay Connected – Your recovery journey only begins with treatment. It is a wonderful lifelong journey that means you must stay connected to your recovery.
Suffering with a substance abuse disorder can be a lonely place. It doesn’t have to be. All you have to do is reach out for help. If you think you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, reach out today. Your journey can begin with that one phone call. Become one of the positive statistics, not one of the ones that get entered on the obituary page. Make that call for help today to 833-364-0736.