EXPLOSIVE –
Jan. 28, 2026 – In his searing new book, “Addicted to Failure: Why the Rehab System Doesn’t Work and What Must Change”, author and addiction reform advocate Jimmie Applegate takes aim at a $16 billion industry that profits from relapse and exposes why traditional rehab models fail to deliver real recovery.
A longtime observer and critic of the addiction treatment industry, Applegate draws on research, interviews and survivor stories to reveal the shocking truth: America’s rehab system is broken by design, exploiting families while offering outdated one-size-fits-all programs that rarely lead to lasting healing. “Relapse isn’t personal failure – it’s a system built to fail you,” Applegate says. “Addiction treatment should be about transformation, not transactions. We need a model that heals brains, honors lived experience and restores human dignity.”
