Oh my! I went to rehab so many times ... first time I was 14-15 years old. Three rehabs by the time I finished high school. In my 20's I ended up in detoxes more than rehab. I would black out, get sent to the hospital, wake up in detox. One time I woke up on a psych ward. One time I woke up and heard a nurse in the hall saying, "I just drew her blood and she didn't even move."
I didn't go to rehab or detox when I finally got sober for good. I walked into AA fully convinced I was powerless and that I would die if I kept drinking. I lost the power of choice over alcohol and I was really scared. I was willing to do anything.
However, I think rehabs can be a great experience and really help people if they are willing to go to any lengths. The detoxes were like little vacations for me. They gave me some nice drugs to make the withdrawals easy. I had a safe, protective environment to get better again. There was always a part of me that wanted to stay sober. I would even go to a few meetings after I got out. Sometimes I'd even get a sponsor. But I wasn't that scared or that hopeless. I certainly wasn't willing to go to any lengths.
This pretty much sums it up:
"Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of hopelessness."
The key word there for me is "admission." The acknowledgement of powerlessness to oneself. I think any alcoholic, once they reach that stage of utter hopelessness, where they become willing to go to any lengths, has a strong and fighting chance. But if you just toss an alkie in rehab, their chances are slim if they're not willing to go to any lengths. They might get a good education on their illness, and some resources that will help them later when they are hopeless, but rehabs not a cure.