The express elevator ride to the bottom for drug addicts is well-known, but what happens when they recover? Health benefits accrue, of course, but there are many add-ons. The most powerful benefits result from reorienting one's thinking from blaming others for one's problems to taking personal responsibility for thoughts and actions. This elimination of the "my problems are caused by others" approach to life relieves guilt, anger, and depression. Relationships become healed, and new ones are forged. This phenomenon also creates energy, and from it flow feelings of hope and excitement about life. But there's more. Addicts learn to be "teachable". And this means becoming more open to new ideas and information. After committing to recovery, many addicts find a sense of purpose by helping others get clean and sober, and they begin seeing the tragedy of their past as an experience they can share to help others. Addicts do relapse, which virtually all treatment professionals accept as part of the process on the road to long-term sobriety. However, those who have fully committed to recovery have fewer relapses and if they do fall off the wagon, they bounce back more quickly. A recovery program is why many addicts get better than just well.