New residential treatment completion numbers

• Treatment completion among clients discharged from long-term residential treatment was also highest among those reporting primary alcohol abuse (46 percent), but lowest among those reporting primary cocaine abuse (33 percent) or primary opiate abuse (35 percent)
  
  
• As educational level increased, the proportion of client discharges completing either short-term or long-term residential treatment increased

Still making Dawn Farm look good.

What these numbers don't report is probably more important. I care a lot about how many people complete residential treatment at Dawn Farm, but that's only part of the picture.

What do they do after treatment? Do they maintain involvement in mutual aid groups? Do they attend aftercare?

What about the people who don't complete residential? Do we maintain a relationship with them? If residential was not a good fit for this person, at this time, do we connect them with another service that will better meet their needs and preferences? If residential was they right place for them, are we able to get them back into residential?

Addiction recovery is a long game, not a short one; addiction is a chronic illness, not an acute one. Successfully completing treatment is like successfully responding to a heart attack--it's a significant victory, but any long term success relies on taking medication, compliance with dietary guidelines and compliance with exercise recommendations. Completing treatment should be viewed in the same manner and treatment services should be structured to provide long-term support in maintaining recovery and long-term monitoring to help prevent relapse and re-intervene quickly when relapse does occur.