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.
A therapeutic community (TC) is a type of treatment program that many residential rehab centers use to help recovering addicts learn better behaviors associated with drug use, socialization and combatting negative perceptions and attitudes held by those individuals. This type of treatment program can be confrontational and is usually very structured, but it is often….
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, when you relapse it is not a failure. Drug addiction is a chronic disease that needs to be treated as such. Relapse is a fact of drug addiction treatment. Not all programs suit all addictions and it is very important that a program be personalized for your….
With our rehab directory, you can search for addiction treatment centers by state and city, finding the facilities that are nearest to you. But how can you find the best possible program for you? We can help you find the right treatment. Call toll free anytime. Step One: Consider Your Needs Every individual has specific….
People affected by dual diagnosis conditions struggle with the combined effects of addiction and one or more psychological disorders. When considered separately, both addiction and mental illness can greatly compromise a person’s ability to function in daily life. When combined, people living with dual diagnosis stand to experience the worst of what these two conditions….
Everybody faces challenges in their lifetime, but, what’s important is how they face those challenges and overcome them to the best of their ability. Although treatment, support, strategic coping skills, and behavioral changes are needed to overcome drug abuse and addiction, in many cases, the stigma or fear of changes attached to rehab far outweigh….
If you or a loved one are going through the struggles of drug addiction, this can be a very confusing and complicated time. It can be particularly severe if the addict is also facing a mental health issue as well, as the two together can present extra challenges and potential risks. What is Comorbidity? Comorbidity….
Marijuana is a plant that people smoke or eat in order to sustain the hallucinogenic effects that alter the sense of time, sound, touch and sight. Most people who use marijuana believe that it is not a dangerous drug nor that it has any type of addicting qualities but this is untrue. Marijuana use results….
Are you the friend or family member of a known addict? Did you know that sometimes it’s the friends and family members that actually help save the life of the addict by making the call and helping them get into drug rehab to get help for their addiction? It’s not just the addict who can….
Anyone who has ever been the victim of or who has even been around someone who is the victim of drug addiction has heard the term “rock bottom.” It’s a phrase that has long been used to describe the place in which an addict must make it to before they begin to turn their life….
Many different types of rehab centers exist: some provide a more lax environment from which patients are able to come and go every day while others provide a more restrictive environment where patients stay at the facility and are very scheduled throughout the day. As such, it is sometimes difficult to know which individuals need….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline (non-facility specific 1-8XX numbers) will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed below, each of which is a paid advertiser:
ARK Behavioral Health
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.
