Long-term prognosis is better for people who
- have insight into the consequences of their substance use
- have preserved stable families
- remain employed
- learn to control impulsive behaviour
- continue treatment
Large scale reviews show that a significant proportion of alcohol misusers improve in the year after they have treatment for their drinking.
(From Luty. What works in alcohol use disorders? Advances in Psychiatric treatment (12) 2006)
Addiction to Heroin has a poor prognosis.Annual death rates are 6-20 times that of the age-matched population(deaths are due to overdose, suicide, accidents, infections etc) and there is a significant risk of relapse even after long periods of abstinence.
(From Hser et al. A 33 year follow up of narcotics addicts. Archives of General psychiatry (58) 2001)