The "Fatigue Factor" in Drug Addiction: Insufficient Motivation for Treatment

Drug addicts who seek treatment may speak poignantly of the physical and emotional exhaustion resulting from the pressures caused by their addiction. The authors have termed these pressures the "fatigue factor." Although such internal motivation has been highly valued by psychotherapists, the authors have found that it rarely leads to successful treatment of drug addicts unless it is supplemented by external pressures from families and the courts. They base their conclusions on a two-year experience in a drug treatment program in which addicts screened for motivation had no better outcomes than those admitted without screening.