Why Addicts Enter Treatment
The three most common reasons addicts enter treatment are:
1. A sincere desire to recover.
2. Coercion.
3. Manipulation.
A SINCERE DESIRE TO RECOVER
Addicts may come to appreciate that it’s time for a change. An old joke of AA is that addicts who drink and drive may make a change after a DUI—they stop driving but continue to drink!
The changes we are looking for are to stop using drugs!
An addict may make a change when he or she hits rock bottom, such as losing a job, losing an important relationship, an arrest on drug charges, or facing homelessness. Maturity is another reason an addict may make a change. Teenagers and young adults think they know everything when the exact opposite is true. As an addict grows older and becomes more in touch
with the realities of life, a genuine change of heart can take place.
COERCION
Addicts may enter treatment because of a threat rather than a sincere desire to recover. For example, a parent may threaten a child with eviction unless he or she goes for treatment. Another example is the court committing the addict to treatment after an arrest on drug charges. Coercion may fail to lead to a significant change if the addict lacks the sincerity for recovery. However, coercion can also serve as a wake-up call that can lead to a positive outcome.
MANIPULATION
Addicts may enter treatment to purposely manipulate physicians or family for unhealthy reasons. Examples include enticing physicians to prescribe controlled medications to support their addiction or to sell the medications on the street. Other examples are to seek treatment only when the money to buy drugs runs out or to appease a complaining family member or friend. There is little chance for a positive outcome if manipulation is the sole reason for seeking treatment.
BOTTOM LINE
A good outcome (sustained sobriety) requires sincerity to want to become sober and a willingness to do the work to make sobriety a reality. Anything less is likely to fail.
1. A sincere desire to recover.
2. Coercion.
3. Manipulation.
A SINCERE DESIRE TO RECOVER
Addicts may come to appreciate that it’s time for a change. An old joke of AA is that addicts who drink and drive may make a change after a DUI—they stop driving but continue to drink!
The changes we are looking for are to stop using drugs!
An addict may make a change when he or she hits rock bottom, such as losing a job, losing an important relationship, an arrest on drug charges, or facing homelessness. Maturity is another reason an addict may make a change. Teenagers and young adults think they know everything when the exact opposite is true. As an addict grows older and becomes more in touch
with the realities of life, a genuine change of heart can take place.
COERCION
Addicts may enter treatment because of a threat rather than a sincere desire to recover. For example, a parent may threaten a child with eviction unless he or she goes for treatment. Another example is the court committing the addict to treatment after an arrest on drug charges. Coercion may fail to lead to a significant change if the addict lacks the sincerity for recovery. However, coercion can also serve as a wake-up call that can lead to a positive outcome.
MANIPULATION
Addicts may enter treatment to purposely manipulate physicians or family for unhealthy reasons. Examples include enticing physicians to prescribe controlled medications to support their addiction or to sell the medications on the street. Other examples are to seek treatment only when the money to buy drugs runs out or to appease a complaining family member or friend. There is little chance for a positive outcome if manipulation is the sole reason for seeking treatment.
BOTTOM LINE
A good outcome (sustained sobriety) requires sincerity to want to become sober and a willingness to do the work to make sobriety a reality. Anything less is likely to fail.