Is Addiction Recovery Lifelong?

George Jacob06 Jun, 2023Health

In 2018, American journalist Maia Szalavitz authored an opinion piece for The New York Times that argued against the idea of addiction recovery lasting a lifetime. In the article, Szalavitz explains that her own journey to recovery lasted 30 years, and 13 of them featured abstinence as she attended 12-step group meetings and therapy sessions. After three decades, she had a moment of clarity letting her know the journey was over without having reached any particular destination. Through her analysis of peer-reviewed studies, Szalavitz shows she?s hardly alone in this style of recovery management. In fact, half of all addicts who successfully recover feel their journeys came to an end at some point.