(RxWiki News) Getting into addiction is easy, but getting out is the hard part. Addicts need love and support no matter how bad the problem has gotten. Get them the treatment they need to make a full recovery.
Researchers analyzed different aspects in recovery that might help enhance the process and ensure a full recovery. Just don't give up!
"Stay confident in your recovery."
Author of the study, John F. Kelly, Ph.D., program director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service and associate director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, believes motivation is high in residential treatment but actually recovering comes from treatment experience.
The study included 303 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who were already part of the multidisciplinary, Twelve Step-based residential treatment for alcohol or other drug addictions. The researchers measured the level of change in areas like motivation, psychological distress, coping skills, self-efficacy and commitment to support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Self-efficacy refers to a person's ability and confidence to stay off alcohol and drugs.
The results showed the participants had the most motivation upon entering the program, but they lacked commitment to support groups, coping skills and confidence that is needed for long-term success, Valerie Slaymaker, Ph.D., a colleague of the study from Butler Center for Research at Hazelden, says.
Increased changes during treatment in these areas showed a higher success rate, while self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of abstinence. Treatments that help reduce psychological distress while developing their coping skills, increasing commitment to support groups and overall confidence in themselves to stay sober will increase chances of a better successful recovery.
The longitudinal study titled "Ready, Willing, and (Not) Able to Change" is published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
