A Discussion of Expectations

The idea that ‘expectations vs reality’ is still considered to be a revelationis intriguing because it is a major stimulus for the multi-billion dollar recovery and self-help industries. The continued makeover of an old idea that worked before plays a big role in sustaining the visibility and profitability of the status quo.

What families are being told today is that having unrealistic expectations about our addicts indicates that we don’t have a true connection with the reality of the situation. Thus, the prevailing method to adapt thinking to deal with this issue is to ask families to lower their expectations for treatment outcome.