Why do so many drug and alcohol addicts relapse? The answers are complex | Diane Young

It's important for patients to know past relapses don't define you, and ongoing help from professionals and friends is critical to recovery

• The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work

Ben* has been battling a drug and alcohol addiction for more than a decade. At 32 years old, he has experienced more than the average person his age.

Ben suffered a horrific injury in a car accident when he was 21 and became dependent on painkillers. From there, he tells me in his first group therapy session in rehab that he began experimenting with a range of different drugs and drinking whatever he could get his hands on". Ben is known as a serial relapser. He has had two one-week stints in rehab and countless sessions with psychologists and therapists over the years to help him recover from his drug and alcohol addictions. After sharing his story, he admits to the group that this three-week rehab is his last hope.