title: Addiction Treatment Professionals Are Not the Gatekeepers of Recovery.
abstract: Addiction treatment is beneficial to many individuals who have substance use disorders. However, only a minority of individuals who recover from addiction receive it. Despite this, addiction treatment is sometimes granted the status of the "gatekeeper of recovery." The myth that treatment is necessary for recovery has no empirical support. It also undermines the confidence of individuals in their ability to change on their own and is unduly dismissive of the efforts of nonprofessional helpers.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Innovation to Implementation , Veterans Affairs and Stanford University Medical Centers.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Humphreys
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012648:Self Care; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: addiction treatment; mutual-help groups; natural recovery; pastoral counselling; professionalism