Measuring Rosecrance’s success against addiction
“How do you measure success?”
This is one of the most common questions people ask us at Rosecrance. Recovering from addiction isn’t like being cured of a disease like mumps or tuberculosis. No specific set of physical symptoms defines addiction, so success can be hard to measure. Also, addiction is considered a life-long disease and there is no real cure.
Measuring a person’s success in recovery means looking at many factors, such as changes in substance use, restoration of family connections, progress in work and/or school and improvement in social skills.
While these measures are very useful, Rosecrance has additional tools to help us evaluate our results. For the past 10 years, we have worked with Northern Illinois University to conduct independent studies that gather information directly from our clients. The studies measure substance use, as well as track clients’ behavior against legal, personal and social benchmarks.
The results of these studies show the following areas of self-reported improvement:
Adolescent outcome study results
62% said they were no longer using any substances 3 to 12 months after treatment
87% have not tried any new drugs since treatment
85% noted improved relationships with family members
81% reported improved grades at school
85-90% never/rarely missed school, cut class or received detention
90% said their outlook on themselves had improved
85% reported an improved outlook on life
96% of adolescents and 81% of parents stated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the services they received at Rosecrance
Adult outcome study results
85% indicated no regular substance use 3 to 12 months following treatment
94% reported improved parenting skills and relationships with children
79% said they are involved with a sober peer group or friends
93% reported no criminal activity since treatment
86% have employment following treatment
94% were satisfied with the treatment they received
Additional ways to improve the odds
These statistics show an impressive record of success. Rosecrance has also documented an improved level of recovery when clients carefully follow the individualized discharge plan we recommend. This plan ask patients to take these types of actions after leaving treatment:
- Attend a 12-Step program meeting every day
- Obtain and maintain a sponsor
- Arrange for individual counseling
- Address any medical issues
- Develop a support system
- Create positive social connections
- Have family members attend Al-Anon meetings
- Get involved in Alumni Club activities