Key takeaway
You want a percent that says whether a program will work for you. NIDA describes better functioning for people who stay in treatment, and it treats a return to use like other chronic illnesses. A brochure number is not that research. Tonight, ask who was counted, when, and whether prescribed medicine counts as success.
Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
You want a percent that tells you whether this program will work for you. A number on a brochure is not that percent.
If you are in danger tonight, or someone will not wake, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
Ask what the number is counting
Most people who enter treatment and remain in it stop using drugs, decrease criminal activity, and function better at work, with other people, and psychologically. Your result still depends on the problems you bring, whether the care fits, and the relationship with the people treating you. No single treatment is right for everyone. Matching you to the right care is the point of the assessment.
Tonight, if a program quotes a success rate, ask who is in the denominator: everyone who started, or only the people who finished. Ask what date was measured, and whether people lost to follow-up were counted as successes, counted as failures, or left out. Ask whether prescribed methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone counts as success. NIDA lists those three medicines for heroin or other opioids, and acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone for alcohol dependence. A scoreboard that marks them as relapse is using a different definition. What the medicines are for is in medication for addiction.
Most people need at least three months of care, and longer care is associated with better outcomes. Three months is the floor in that sentence. It is not a pass mark you either clear or miss.
A return to use is a signal to change the care
NIDA compares the pattern of return to use with other chronic illnesses, including diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. Many people treat a return to use as proof the treatment failed. The research guide says that reading is wrong. Successful treatment needs continual evaluation and changes, the way hypertension does. When symptoms quiet during active treatment, the care is working, even if symptoms return after treatment stops. A lapse means the care should be restarted, adjusted, or replaced.
If you use as much as you did before you quit, you can overdose, because your body is no longer adapted to that amount. Slow breathing, a seizure, or a person who will not wake needs emergency help, not a debate about the percent. What to do the day use returns, once everyone is safe, is in relapse first steps.
FindTreatment.gov locates programs. It does not rank them by a success percent. Effective care also has to cover medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal needs, not only a drug test on the last morning. A license is permission to operate. Accreditation is a review of procedures. Neither one is a success rate. Questions about the license and what happens after you leave are in the residential checklist. What should continue after a stay is in aftercare planning.
Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help comparing programs without treating a brochure percent as your odds.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- NIDA: Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, third edition
- NIDA: Treatment and Recovery
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Common Questions
What success rate does NIDA publish for rehab?
NIDA does not publish one personal percent. It says most people who enter treatment and remain in it stop using drugs, decrease criminal activity, and improve how they function at work, with other people, and psychologically. Results still depend on the problems you bring, whether the treatment fits, and the relationship with the people providing care. There is no single treatment for everyone.
Is a return to use a failed treatment?
NIDA says many people read a return to use as failure, and that the reading is wrong. Care needs continual evaluation and changes, the way hypertension does. Symptoms can return when treatment stops. A lapse means treatment should be restarted, adjusted, or replaced. It does not mean the earlier care never counted.
How long does NIDA say people need to stay?
Most people need at least three months, and longer care is associated with better outcomes. Three months is the floor in that research. It is not a graduation date, and it is not a promise that a shorter stay failed. If use returns, the response NIDA describes is to reinstate or adjust care.
Do prescribed medicines count as success?
Ask the program how it counts them. NIDA lists methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone as effective treatment for heroin or other opioids, and acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone for alcohol dependence. A scoreboard that marks those medicines as relapse is not using that definition.
Does a license mean the success rate is high?
No. A license is permission to operate. An accreditation review looks at procedures. Neither one is a success rate, and FindTreatment.gov does not rank programs by a percent. Ask what continues after the stay the number describes.