Originally Posted by
freshstart57 
Wary of what? That they will start drinking, or smoking, or using heroin again? Surely concluding that they are cured would give them the best chance of succeeding. Why would you think that including failure in a plan is a good idea?
I quit smoking as well as quit drinking. Am I cured of smoking? Of course I am. For good? Of course I quit for good, why else would I quit? You apparently think I am going to fail and start smoking again, but I certainly don't. Just like with drinking, failure is not an option, not even a remote possibility.
Obviously this is a very personal mindset for each individual. I'm only contributing observations gathered over many years of working with recovering substance abusers.
My belief is that addressing addiction as a chronic disease (much like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.) requires a life-long effort to keep it controlled. Once established physiologically, it typically remains a potential relapse threat that can be triggered almost instantly when reintroduction of a substance occurs.
When an addict believes they are "cured", there can be unfortunate results that include a change in situational awareness, behavioral patterns and a reduction in commitment to recovery since it's believed to be no longer necessary.
I'm never comfortable when
recovering alcoholics/addicts somehow convince themselves they are now
cured. Just my firmly held opinion having seen the downside results. Alternatively, I don't see the risk with treating this as a chronic condition that can be controlled but never totally cured.