Remember that many people begin drinking or using drugs in order to avoid painful feelings. You may have had a troubled childhood or you may suffer from anxiety or depression.

These problems have to be faced in an ongoing fashion. The trick here is keeping your eye on the ball. Addiction is never cured, but it can go into remission. To maintain remission, you have to take care of yourself and continue doing those things that have kept you sober so far.

Relapse is a continuous risk. Many people relapse during the first two years or so of sobriety, but a surprisingly large number also relapse after five, ten, or twenty years. One type of relapse involves the development of another addiction, or cross-addiction (see “The Addicted Brain” section). People who have overcome an addiction to cocaine, for example, may get in trouble with alcohol later on. Behavioral addictions, such as gambling, overeating, or compulsive sexual behavior, sometimes crop up as well. If you go back and trace the course of early recovery for those people, you often find that the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the addiction were not completely addressed. They have been “white knuckling” and continue to have problems coping with painful emotions.

Does everyone who is addicted eventually get into recovery? Sadly, no. Outcome measures - surveys that track the success of people in recovery - tell us that 5 to 60 percent stay sober over the long term. These studies use somewhat different criteria and have different durations, but we do know that some behaviors will improve a person’s chances of staying sober: consistent attendance at 12-step and aftercare meetings, willingness to reenter treatment if relapse occurs, and active involvement by the family in a recovery program and aftercare.

It’s important to remember that there is an element of will involved in the disease of addiction. If you are willing, if you remain open to suggestions, and if you try to be thoroughly honest with yourself, you can make it.

Elizabeth Connell Henderson, M.D.

Glossary

Appendix A: Regulation of Addictive Substances

Appendix B: Sources of Additional Information