How One Treatment Model Is Cutting Addiction Deaths by 8 Times the National Rate

A national addiction treatment organization has released outcomes showing mortality rates 8 times lower than untreated individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), along with treatment retention rates 3 times higher than national benchmarks. Groups Recover Together, which operates community-based addiction care across the country, published its 2026 Annual Outcomes Report revealing what may be the most compelling evidence yet that certain treatment models can fundamentally change survival rates for people struggling with substance abuse.

What Makes This Data Different From Other Addiction Treatment Results?

Most addiction treatment discussions focus on whether people stay sober. Groups' report goes further, measuring something more urgent: whether people stay alive. In 2025, individuals treated at Groups facilities for opioid use disorder with medications like buprenorphine or methadone had mortality rates 3.5 times lower than the national benchmark for similar patients, and 8 times lower than people with OUD who received no treatment at all. That's not a marginal improvement—it's a dramatic difference in life-or-death outcomes.

The organization achieved these results while serving some of the most vulnerable populations in America. Over 70% of their patients live in rural areas where treatment access is notoriously limited, 69% have involvement with the criminal justice system, and 72% meet diagnostic criteria for severe opioid use disorder. These aren't easy cases. Yet the outcomes suggest that meeting people where they are—geographically and circumstantially—actually works.

How Does This Treatment Model Actually Keep People Engaged in Recovery?

One of the biggest challenges in addiction treatment is dropout. People start programs and disappear. Groups achieved 6-month retention rates that were 3 times higher than the national benchmark, a critical milestone because sustained engagement directly predicts better outcomes. Here's what made the difference:

• Rapid Access to Care: The time from a person's first call to their scheduled appointment was just one business day, enabled by a 24/7/365 Recovery Access Center that removes scheduling barriers.
• Medication-Assisted Treatment: The program combines medications like buprenorphine and methadone with group therapy and personal support, both in-person and virtual, addressing the biological and psychological sides of addiction simultaneously.
• Community-Based Approach: Rather than isolating patients in residential facilities, Groups operates within communities, allowing people to maintain jobs, family connections, and social stability while in treatment.

The retention data translates directly to remission. Among members who stayed in treatment for 180 days or longer, nearly 100% achieved remission as defined by 90 consecutive days without using illicit opioids. That's not just abstinence—that's sustained recovery with measurable biological markers.

What's the Financial Impact of Better Addiction Treatment?

Beyond lives saved, the economic argument for effective addiction treatment is compelling. Claims-based studies show that Groups achieved 30% to 40% lower total cost of care compared to other outpatient and residential treatment options. This isn't because the treatment is cheaper—it's because higher retention rates mean fewer emergency room visits, fewer overdose-related hospitalizations, and less reliance on crisis interventions that drain healthcare budgets.

"Every person deserves access to compassionate, high-quality treatment. Our results show not only that it's possible to scale industry-leading outcomes nationally, but also that addiction care can successfully align incentives between individuals who receive care, providers who deliver care, and the states and health plans that pay for care," said Cooper Zelnick, Chief Executive Officer of Groups. "By meeting people where they are, treating them with dignity and respect, and keeping them engaged in care, we are not only saving lives—we are reducing both the human and financial toll of the substance use disorder epidemic across our country".

In 2025 alone, Groups provided intake appointments for over 21,000 individuals. That volume, combined with these outcomes, suggests the model isn't just theoretically sound—it's practically scalable across different regions and populations.

The addiction crisis continues to evolve, with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids making overdose risk more unpredictable than ever. But this data offers something rare in addiction treatment: concrete evidence that a specific approach—combining rapid access, medication-assisted treatment, group support, and community integration—can produce outcomes that dramatically exceed national benchmarks. For families searching for treatment options and policymakers deciding where to invest resources, these numbers suggest where to look.