The sad truth is that we just don't know how to treat addiction very well. We don't even define "success" well. Is it sober after 3 months? 6? 1 year? 5 years?

The sad truth is that we just don't know how to treat addiction very well. We don't even define "success" well. Is it sober after 3 months? 6? 1 year? 5 years? 10? Does that still count if one has to continue to get treatment/go to meetings/take medication/etc.? There aren't a lot of good, consistent answers. AA isn't without its faults, but it is readily available, anonymous, and free (that's a big one -- too many anti-AA people are selling something).