The Ten Percent Solution

10% is the number the scientific community gives to addiction recovery. It is a number based on statistics and polls that have very little basis in recovery. The reasons for this are numerous the biggest being that only 10% of addicts do the work involved to get sober. 10% also seems to be the buzzword for the various forms of recovery. There are many reasons for this the first and biggest is that recovery is based on the individual. Many things cause us to become addicted. Social, Environmental, Personality and Upbringing all contribute to our how we find our way to recover. Despite what people may say the only bad recovery is no recovery at all. I spent a lot of my adult life studying addiction as a Alcoholic and as a Clinician. One thing I learned is there are a lot more ways to get sober then there are to get high. The path you choose must conform to your idea of things. Addiction is complex. Is it a disease? According to the American Medical Association yes they defined it as a complex disease in 1967. Although physicians had been calling it a disease since the 1780's. Anyone who tells you it is not a disease doesn't know the definition of disease which proves they are not doctors. Addiction is a disease period the government says so the medical community says so therefore it is so. Back to the reality. 10% of addicts in the US will seek treatment for the disease. Of the 10% only 10% will achieve sobriety. Now the real 10 percent solution comes in. 10% will recover spontaneously meaning that they will be able to put it down with no help what so ever. Try it if it works for you stop reading and go on with your life. OK for the other 90%. 10% get sober through 12 step groups these are the A's. AA was founded in 1935 on a basic principle of one drunk helping another. It was not a new idea. In the 1880's the Washingtonians found that one drunk helping another kept them from drinking. The problem the Washingtonians ran into was politics. This was avoided by Alcoholics Anonymous which is why it has lasted as long as it has. The next 10% will get sober through Life Ring a organization which uses positive reinforcement by group members to help each other stay sober. There are several groups such as Secular Organizations for Sobriety and Sisters in Sobriety all having around a 10% rate of recovery. So why is 10% the number across the board. It is a little known fact that 10% of the human population do not fit into the society norms set forth by they're culture. Another reason is that most addicts and alcoholics just do not want to get sober. That is a hard pill to swallow but it is true. Most Addicts will die as a direct result of they're disease. The truth is if you want to be sober you will find the one that works for you but first you will have to try the ones that don't.