A survey of American families has revealed that only half of drug- or alcohol-addicted family members seek help for their problem but doing so often gives positive results to 82% of them.
On interviewing about 902 U.S. adults in a recent Gallup poll, the USA Today/HBO Family Drug Addiction poll revealed that a member of their immediate family is or was addicted to drugs or alcohol.The findings of the poll were that 51% said their addicted family member never sought treatment. 41% of them said their addicted family member has "overcome" his or her addiction. 65% said a family member admitted an addiction to them although two-thirds of the time it was only after they confronted the addict.
The poll also suggested that once a family member admits his or her addiction, that person is more likely to seek treatment than those who do not admit their addictions. Three-fourths of addicts were alcoholics, while 30% were drug addicts. Some were addicted to both drugs and alcohol.
23% of addicts who sought treatment went to a rehab center; 17% went to AA meetings, classes, or 12-step programs; 11% sought psychological counseling; and 8% went to hospital programs. 82% reported an improvement in their addicted family member after treatment while 38% reported that their family member made a "complete recovery."
