Does Rehab Work? Understanding the Recursive Model

For years, addiction was diagnosed as a character flaw. Alcoholics and addicts just made poor choices, the thinking went. Or maybe, they were just bad people. Luckily, that period is long over. Today, we know that addiction is a “biopsychosocial” disease — or, one caused by biological, psychological, and social factors. As such, it should have a proper, standardized treatment that delivers repeatable results. Western medical treatment is based on science and data — not personal beliefs or anecdotal observations. At Acqua Recovery, we are dedicated to tracking patient outcomes so that we can improve our treatment program, constantly delivering a better experience to our patients and constantly approaching a more scientific understanding of how addiction can be successfully treated. Does rehab work? Answering that depends on an understanding of our recursive model.

What is a recursive model?

Recursion is a procedure that references back to itself. In addiction treatment terms, we treat our clients based on what we have learned from past clients. The successes and failures of our treatment and our community help make Acqua Recovery even better for those to come in the future. It’s an exponential path: Over time, we’ll hone in on possible improvements until we are delivering the best programming possible. (Of course, as they say in recovery, “perfect” treatment isn’t really possible, since it would vary slightly for each individual. It’s all about the progress vs. perfection.)

At Acqua Recovery, we track the experiences of our clients, interviewing them upon intake, at discharge, and at other points post-treatment. Then, we created a detailed quarterly report that shows us where we are doing well and where we could improve.

Does rehab work?

These are the results of our latest report.

Post-Treatment Abstinence

One of the most crucial measures of a successful substance abuse treatment  program is the rate of client abstinence post-treatment. Acqua Recovery’s success rates are 24% higher than the national average and 87% of their clients did not report a relapse within the first month after treatment. 206% more patients remained abstinent in their first month after treatment than patients observed in a recent Johns Hopkins study.

How to Stay Clean & Sober

Acqua Recovery considers many factors when helping patients create a successful recovery plan. For example, Vista found that several factors appear to improve abstinence success rates. One of the most important? Whether patients successfully complete all of their recommended treatment or not. It was found that clients who finished treatment were more than twice as likely to remain sober a month after treatment as those who did not.

Another helpful factor for building a life in recovery is attending regular meetings post-treatment to reduce triggers and provide an outlet to relapse prevention. It doesn’t have to be 12 Step; Acqua offers many alternative fellowship programs to patients. According to Vista, that can make a big difference: 64% of their clients who remained sober six months after treatment attended regular recovery meetings.

One key sign of a treatment center’s success is the strength of their alumni programs. Some residential facilities don’t have enough abstinent members to hold alumni meetings, or don’t have an alumni program at all. At Acqua Recovery, 40% of clients who stayed abstinent longer than six months attended regular alumni meetings on our campus. Alumni programs give a patient an immediate sober community coming out of treatment and aid in recovery, relapse prevention, and positive recursivity in one’s life.

Impact and Satisfaction of Addiction Treatment

When entering treatment, it’s important to understand that addiction and mental health disorders often go hand-in-hand. Acqua found that 85% of clients exhibit moderate to severe symptoms of co-occurring disorders at intake, the most common being depression. This is why finding a dual-diagnosis program can be a helpful factor in choosing a successful program. At Acqua Recovery, we don’t just focus on the addiction at surface level; but also, we dig into the underlying behavioral health issues that surface when you take away the substance. This trauma-informed approach focuses on the whole person to help the continuity of positive steps toward recovery.

After treatment at Acqua Recovery, 89% of patients reported their moderate to severe anxiety and/or depression symptoms eliminated. While patients’ mental health drastically improved by the end of treatment, 74% of clients reported feeling “good” or “excellent” six months after completeing their program as well.

Another proof of successful treatment to look for is the rate of satisfaction from previous patients. At discharge, 89% of Acqua’s patients described themselves as very satisfied with the treatment they had received. Satisfaction remained high at both one and sixth months post-residential treatment.

Post Treatment Testimonials

Don’t just take our word for it! Read some of these testimonials from real patients after their journey with Acqua Recovery.

“This place changed my life. They have a program that truly works.”

“The staff was amazing. I left with tools to help me in my daily life. I was mentally prepared to face the outside world.”

“The program was very clinically sound. I am a psychotherapist myself and felt the clinical staff was more than adequately trained.”

“They provide a loving and caring staff that are screened and provide safety and hope. They helped me until I could help myself again.”

If you feel your addiction is drastically affecting your life, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can help you with a successful treatment and find you a path to a better life.


Does Rehab Work? Understanding the Recursive Model

Dr. Daniel Pickrell

Dr. Daniel Pickrell
Medical Reviewer

Dr. Pickrell is a board-certified psychiatrist with interests in addiction and psychiatry. He strives to identify the underlying cause of substance use. His understanding of addiction as the overlapping symptoms of biopsychosocial development is the foundation to his care model. He is committed to helping both patients and families understand that addiction is a treatable medical illness. He has been involved in the treatment of addiction for the last 17 years and completed his residency training at the University of Utah.

For years, addiction was diagnosed as a character flaw. Alcoholics and addicts just made poor choices, the thinking went. Or maybe, they were just bad people. Luckily, that period is long over. Today, we know that addiction is a “biopsychosocial” disease — or, one caused by biological, psychological, and social factors. As such, it should have a proper, standardized treatment that delivers repeatable results. Western medical treatment is based on science and data — not personal beliefs or anecdotal observations. At Acqua Recovery, we are dedicated to tracking patient outcomes so that we can improve our treatment program, constantly delivering a better experience to our patients and constantly approaching a more scientific understanding of how addiction can be successfully treated. Does rehab work? Answering that depends on an understanding of our recursive model.

What is a recursive model?

Recursion is a procedure that references back to itself. In addiction treatment terms, we treat our clients based on what we have learned from past clients. The successes and failures of our treatment and our community help make Acqua Recovery even better for those to come in the future. It’s an exponential path: Over time, we’ll hone in on possible improvements until we are delivering the best programming possible. (Of course, as they say in recovery, “perfect” treatment isn’t really possible, since it would vary slightly for each individual. It’s all about the progress vs. perfection.)

At Acqua Recovery, we track the experiences of our clients, interviewing them upon intake, at discharge, and at other points post-treatment. Then, we created a detailed quarterly report that shows us where we are doing well and where we could improve.

Does rehab work?

These are the results of our latest report.

Post-Treatment Abstinence

One of the most crucial measures of a successful substance abuse treatment  program is the rate of client abstinence post-treatment. Acqua Recovery’s success rates are 24% higher than the national average and 87% of their clients did not report a relapse within the first month after treatment. 206% more patients remained abstinent in their first month after treatment than patients observed in a recent Johns Hopkins study.

How to Stay Clean & Sober

Acqua Recovery considers many factors when helping patients create a successful recovery plan. For example, Vista found that several factors appear to improve abstinence success rates. One of the most important? Whether patients successfully complete all of their recommended treatment or not. It was found that clients who finished treatment were more than twice as likely to remain sober a month after treatment as those who did not.

Another helpful factor for building a life in recovery is attending regular meetings post-treatment to reduce triggers and provide an outlet to relapse prevention. It doesn’t have to be 12 Step; Acqua offers many alternative fellowship programs to patients. According to Vista, that can make a big difference: 64% of their clients who remained sober six months after treatment attended regular recovery meetings.

One key sign of a treatment center’s success is the strength of their alumni programs. Some residential facilities don’t have enough abstinent members to hold alumni meetings, or don’t have an alumni program at all. At Acqua Recovery, 40% of clients who stayed abstinent longer than six months attended regular alumni meetings on our campus. Alumni programs give a patient an immediate sober community coming out of treatment and aid in recovery, relapse prevention, and positive recursivity in one’s life.

Impact and Satisfaction of Addiction Treatment

When entering treatment, it’s important to understand that addiction and mental health disorders often go hand-in-hand. Acqua found that 85% of clients exhibit moderate to severe symptoms of co-occurring disorders at intake, the most common being depression. This is why finding a dual-diagnosis program can be a helpful factor in choosing a successful program. At Acqua Recovery, we don’t just focus on the addiction at surface level; but also, we dig into the underlying behavioral health issues that surface when you take away the substance. This trauma-informed approach focuses on the whole person to help the continuity of positive steps toward recovery.

After treatment at Acqua Recovery, 89% of patients reported their moderate to severe anxiety and/or depression symptoms eliminated. While patients' mental health drastically improved by the end of treatment, 74% of clients reported feeling “good” or “excellent” six months after completeing their program as well.

Another proof of successful treatment to look for is the rate of satisfaction from previous patients. At discharge, 89% of Acqua’s patients described themselves as very satisfied with the treatment they had received. Satisfaction remained high at both one and sixth months post-residential treatment.

Post Treatment Testimonials

Don’t just take our word for it! Read some of these testimonials from real patients after their journey with Acqua Recovery.

“This place changed my life. They have a program that truly works.”

“The staff was amazing. I left with tools to help me in my daily life. I was mentally prepared to face the outside world.”

“The program was very clinically sound. I am a psychotherapist myself and felt the clinical staff was more than adequately trained.”

“They provide a loving and caring staff that are screened and provide safety and hope. They helped me until I could help myself again.”

If you feel your addiction is drastically affecting your life, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can help you with a successful treatment and find you a path to a better life.


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