I hate it when someone drops out of one of my Freedom Groups. My first reaction is, “What did I do wrong?” Over the three years I have been leading groups, we have grown from five groups to nine, and from 50 men to 130. But I always fret over the one who slips away.
Then I read this verse and realize I’m in good company. “From that time on many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66).
There will always be a significant number of addicts who drop out before they cross the finish line. The statistics are alarming.
- In a one-year period, a certain treatment center reported that 70.2 percent of their patients dropped out before completing the program.
- Another study found that when people leave an inpatient treatment center, 40-60 percent relapse within 30 days.
- Further research concludes that the relapse rate for the first year of recovery is 85 percent.
- A survey of AA members found that once sober for five years, the relapse rate drops to just seven percent.
Recovery Step: Relapse is a lot easier than recovery. But relapse is always a bad choice. Stay in your program. Keep moving forward. You’ve come too far to drop out now.
