This is good news for Walter White — he’ll have life long customers! LOLz!
In all seriousness, though, this sucks. Rehab, research finds, doesn’t really help meth users all that well.
People who joined a residential rehab program mostly ended up getting back on the drug within 3 years. Shorter detoxification treatments had even less impact on getting meth users clean!
The main issue, according to researchers, is that the programs end too soon:
“Addiction is much more of a chronic disorder. Once you’ve changed your brain from using drugs like methamphetamine, there’s going to be a propensity to relapse.”
Also, there aren’t a lot of programs that deal specifically with meth addiction, usually applying methods for heroin and alcohol.
Detox, especially, doesn’t really have an effect:
“There really is no benefit from detox alone. You’re not really providing treatment, you’re simply providing a medical intervention that can help people reduce their symptoms.”
So is rehab even worth it?
Yes. But it needs to be a longer effort:
“Some people really have trouble grasping the fact that they need help for a longer period of time. They want to go into rehab, get fixed, and go on with their life.”
This really is a bummer, as most people who decide to quit really want to get back to their lives — and probably don’t want to be in rehab the right amount of time.
Who would?
But still, from our point of view, it’s 100% worth it!
[Image via AP Images.]
