Your son’s latest trip to the methadone rehab clinic appears to have been successful. From past experience, however, you know that you really cannot take anything for granted. Previous trips to other methadone rehab clinics were not as successful, but you feel as if this time he has a different kind of commitment, a different kind of focus. In fact, in addition to focusing on his regular routines he is also committed to continuing the physical workouts that he filled his time with while he was in the methadone rehab clinic. Armed with a variety of ways to make sure that he stays interested, your son has even invited you and your wife to join him in his activities, and has explained why a change in routines may be the best way to get the results you all could use:

• Most people are willing to try something new if they know it is short term and good for them, so your son now has an interesting mix of ways to stay physically active as her.continues his efforts to get fit.
• A lot of people like change when they are in charge of it, less so if change is thrust upon them.
• Changing from high intensity cardio into low intensity stretching is a massive brain switch that takes some practice, but can serve as an effective approach for many people who feel as if they have been stuck in a rut.
• Your son explained that more people came to the 35 minute cycle class than have been coming for several months to the 50 minute class that offered more variety while he was in for the methadone treatments, so he is determined to create a structured, but varied setting for himself.
• Experimenting to see what people like is risky because it is difficult to please everyone, but knowing that tomorrow’s workout will be different means that if you do not enjoy today’s schedule you might like tomorrow’s.
• Most people who work out do not stretch enough so they never get the feeling of restoration after workouts. That is a big loss that your son is hoping to eliminate as he starts and ends every workout with a prescribed stretching routine.
• Most people struggle to relax their brains enough to release stress. That is also a losing game that can be detrimental to your overall health, so a varied workout routine requires you to actually focus on the next set of exercises instead of dwell on every day stressors.
• Change is hard, but is often worth the effort.
• Teaching and training was something that was modeled every day your son was in rehab and he is looking forward to offering those services to you.

Breaking an addiction is always a struggle, but it is important to note that when you have the resources of the best rehabilitation facilities and the time to dedicate to making a change you can find success. Unfortunately, without any help drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses in the year 2015 alone. In fact, of the 20.5 million Americans 12 or older who had a substance use disorder in 2015, 2 million had a substance use disorder involving prescription pain relievers and 591,000 had a substance use disorder involving heroin. These are, of course, scary statistics, but there are clinics and treatment centers that offer a way to make sure that you are getting your loved one the best possible resources. Not all methadone rehab clinics are the same, though, so it is important to know as many possible details about the clinics that you are considering.

From the treatment that is administered while you or your loved one is at the clinic to the tools that they provide their patients with when they leave, many clinics can have a life changing effect. Although there are various kinds of results, methadone treatment success rates range from 60% to 90%, and outcomes improve the longer a patient remains in treatment. As a result, it is important for families of addicts to understand that it will take a long term commitment to find the most success. Are you ready for the challenge?