[justinh]

You're on the right track here, but opiates and alcohol also create a lingering hell for the sufferer called PAWS. The longer a person abuses a substance, the longer PAWS lasts. It is not uncommon for PAWS to last a year or more.

To be successful, a person has to somehow manage & deal with PAWS, while also facing life, and the deeper causes of their addiction. This is why I am an advocate of recovery that includes bupenorphrine. It allows a person who has the right motivations the space to recover.

It is an unjust tragedy the way this country/world treats people who suffer from addiction.