Im gonna stick my two cents in here as I am a recovering addict too. This is just my own personal expierience. My DOC is meth and any kind of pain pills. I have had an addiction for countless years. I have tried repeatedly to quit on my own with no help at 1st. That plan failed everytime. It was Nov. of 2005. I was in a lab and my bf came in and called the cops. My kids werent there but he took them away and called child services. I was arrested and sat in jail from Dec. 24th to Jan 3rd. I stood to lose everything if I didnt get into rehab. Even then it was still doubtful. I didnt want to go but I went to try something new. I learned alot of the tools I needed to help me stay clean. What it comes down to is my own way of thinking. If I dont change my way of thinking and the way I was living then the tools I learned were pointless. Thats what tools are. Tools to turn your thinking, tools to help you change the way you live, etc. I went to inpatient and out patient to make sure I learned all that I could for almost a year. I wanted to make sure i did it the right way the first time. I still learn something new almost everyday for recovery. I went to meetings too. And yes some of the meeting are a place to score or to rehash the good ol days of getting high. Meetings is about taking what you can learn and leaving the rest. I had to find the 'right' meeting for me. Not all meeting are good. I also had a wonderful therapist. That was the key for me. It was my counselor who did the most wonders for my recovery. I now have a year and a half clean with no relapses so far. In that time I have worked very hard to put my family back together, and clean up the wreckage of my past using. I am still paying for my mistakes in the legal way. A sponsor has also played an important role in my recovery. Not someone with just a year clean or just a little time. I have one sponsor that has almost 26 years come this June. I dont get to go to meetings because they werent available in my area. Ive moved in the last 2 months and will be seeking a meeting looking for more support now though.
Now this is just my expierience. I have to agree with Blackrose, as I hear alot of excuses. He may not need to go back to rehab but thats because he's not ready to change his ways. Recovery is doing anything and everything to stop using including your way of thinking. He will have to do this on his own to a point and that is when he is ready to stop doing things his way and start using the ways to get clean and sober.