According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Individuals progress through drug addiction treatment at various rates, so there is no predetermined length of treatment. However, research has shown unequivocally that good outcomes are contingent on adequate treatment length.” It is not recommended that any individual leave their rehab program early unless the decision is made between the patient and their physician. Even this possibility, though, is rare because leaving treatment early usually does no coincide with a safe and strong recovery.
Featured Rehab Center
What are the Normal Treatment Lengths?
Have a discussion with your doctor if you feel the need to leave treatment early.
“Generally, for residential or outpatient treatment, participation for less than 90 days is of limited effectiveness, and treatment lasting significantly longer is recommended for maintaining positive outcomes.” For certain types of rehab programs, like therapeutic communities or methadone maintenance, 6 months to a year are more adequate lengths, which has been proven through studies of the programs’ effectiveness. However, it often depends on the individual, and some programs can continue even longer than the ones mentioned here, if the patient is still benefitting from it.
Why Shouldn’t I Leave My Rehab Program Early?
It can be dangerous for an individual to leave their rehab program early because they have not received the full effect of the program. Though recovery is an ongoing process, a person needs time to be able to learn and process the tools they need in order to live with their addiction, and attending treatment for the necessary amount of time can help with this.
In addition, leaving rehab early can cause you to feel secure in your recovery when you are not. You may feel that you have been cured of your addiction instead of understanding that your recovery will likely continue for months or years after your initial treatment has ended. Because relapse rates for substance use disorders are so high, it is necessary for addicts to get all the help they can in order to safely recover and to continue rebuilding their lives.
Rehab centers are often built around keeping individuals in the program for the necessary amount of time, as “whether a patients stays in treatment depends on factors associated with both the individual and the program” (NIDA). But it is very important that patients stay in their rehab program for the necessary amount of time, as leaving early can be very damaging.
Sometimes this is a possibility, but it is hardly ever recommended, as most clinicians have a difficult enough time as it is keeping patients in treatment for adequate lengths of time. If you are curious about the possibility, talk to your doctor, but understand that it will almost always be better for you to continue your rehab program and to complete it than to end it early. The more help you receive, the better, and though there is still a possibility of relapse even after treatment has ended, this chance lowers considerably when one attends a treatment program to its completion as opposed to not going through the process at all or leaving early.
If you have more questions about the benefit of rehab centers and addiction treatment on recovery, call 800-481-6320Who Answers?. We would be happy to help you find a program that fits your needs.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are approximately 20 million people currently suffering from behavioral or addictive disorders. Of these people, less than 10 percent are actively being treated through a program. Roughly 40 percent of these people are unable to receive treatment because of the high cost involved…..
Watching alcoholism destroy a loved one’s life can be a heart-rending experience, leaving a person feeling helpless and oftentimes alone. In spite of your attempts to reason, bargain and even beg, he or she continues to turn to alcohol as the be-all and end-all for life’s problems. While no one can force a person to….
Relapse – it’s the number one feature of nearly any addiction that tends to remain the same across the board. It’s also one of the most painful aspects of any addiction treatment program and it plagues most every recovering addict at least once and typically many times throughout their lives. Relapse happens to the vast….
So. Here you are- You with the addiction to cocaine; You with the addiction to meth; You with the addiction to opiates. You have found yourself right smack in the middle of a raging addiction that you have no control over. You feel helpless and scared. You want to get help for your addiction but….
Opiate addictions have seemingly taken the United States by storm, with an estimated two million Americans reportedly abusing opiates in 2009, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The common practice of prescribing opiates to treat pain-related conditions has left those most vulnerable to addiction to fend for themselves. Recreational users also soon discover….
Alcoholism is not some disease that just appears over night. You don’t just wake up one day and all of a sudden you’re an alcoholic. Alcoholism begins with alcohol abuse and over time as drinking progresses from being a fun thing to do socially and on occasion to being a damaging situation that is out….
If ever there was a “silent” epidemic, suicide rates across the U. S. would most definitely qualify as no one wants to talk about this condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, suicide ranked as the 10th leading cause of death in 2013, which totaled out at 41,149 cases. This number amounts….
Generally, when an individual completes residential rehab for a substance abuse disorder the next step is to head home and continue their recovery. For some though, heading home isn’t an option for one of many reasons. There may not be a home because the addict was homeless at the time that he or she entered….
Patients who are treated at local rehab centers undergo their rehabilitation in a safe environment that is in close proximity to their friends and family making them feel a little more at ease. For the recovering addict, there is a sense of ease knowing their surroundings, not that they are home but in an area….
While not a technical reference, the “single mom stress syndrome” refers to a unique set of stressors that qualifies as a syndrome in its own right. If you or someone you know fills this role, you’re well aware of the endless responsibilities that come with being a single mother. Enduring this type of hectic lifestyle….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Additional calls will also be forwarded and returned by a quality treatment center within the USA.
Calls to any general helpline (non-facility specific 1-8XX numbers) for your visit will be answered by a licensed drug and alcohol rehab facility, a paid advertiser on RehabCenters.com.
