If you or someone you love is battling a substance use disorder, staying in treatment for a long time could be worth the additional investment of your time and resources. Research shows that the longer a person stays in treatment, the better their chances are of achieving long-term recovery.
Why is this? For one thing, recovery is not just about stopping the use of your drug of choice, but simultaneously learning a new way of life. A good treatment program teaches its clients new ways to cope with stress, rebuild relationships, and improve their overall health and wellbeing.
Various factors have led to an over-abundance of “revolving-door” rehabs that have 28-day (or shorter) programs during which the client stabilizes and then returns to their home life. They also, sadly, sometimes return to treatment again later and have trouble finding long-term success in recovery. So, what is itabout longer-term treatment that helps lead to successful sobriety?
What The Research About Treatment Length Says
Shorter-term treatment programs and outpatient programs are not as successful as longer-term residential programs. Getting no treatment at all has much lower success rates, by far, than both options.
Studies show that people who stay in treatment programs for at least 90 days are more likely to stay sober and avoid relapses than those who stay for a shorter time. This statistic holds true for different levels of care, including inpatient, outpatient, and residential programs. Longer treatment allows for the detoxification process to complete fully before the counseling, education, and building of new coping skills begins. The longer stay in a supportive and monitored environment helps people create new, healthier patterns. Programs that are too short may not give enough time for these skills and new behaviors to fully take hold, which increases the risk of relapse after.
Why Longer Treatment Works
Nobody becomes addicted overnight, but many of us hope for the impossible: a quick and painless recovery. Addiction and recovery don’t work like that. Addiction is complex, affecting many aspects of a person’s life, health, and wellbeing. Old habits, thinking patterns, and other aspects of addiction need time. Getting sober helps people rewire their brains, but there’s still work to do. Learning about the disease model of addiction is important to recovery. Longer-term treatment gives people in recovery the time to:
- More fully understand their triggers, cravings, and other symptoms and learn how to manage them.
- Do the work of analyzing their feelings and thought patterns so they can create healthier coping skills for challenging thoughts, triggers, and situations.
- Begin the process of rebuilding relationships with the facilitation of a therapist.
- Focus on the health and welfare of their entire being, including any co-occurring mental or physical health issues
Along with the research that shows that longer treatment periods lead to better abstinence outcomes, patients will also be more likely to find employment and people who have committed crimes have lower rates of recidivism after longer treatment. Leaving treatment prematurely often means therapy is unfinished, and many issues may not yet be adequately addressed. It’s important to take time to really get well and get on the right path in recovery.
Who Needs Longer-Term Treatment?
Not everyone needs the same length of treatment. Some people may benefit from shorter programs, while others require long-term care to fully address their addiction. Those who often need longer treatment include:
- Long-term substance users, especially if they use more than one substance.
- People with co-existing mental health disorders. Mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or PTSD, need treatment and education for that as well.
- People who have had several stints in treatment yet have not achieved sobriety.
- People lacking strong social support networks need to build a strong foundation in recovery.
- People who will requirea difficult detoxes (ie heavy drug users, or poly-substance users) or who have used substances for many years.
Long-term treatment doesn’t mean forever. Programs can be for several months to more than a year, depending on the person’s needs. Often, inpatient programs will recommend aftercare as well. Clients who complete these programs may also seek out family therapy, psychiatry, support groups and other tools to help them ease into their new, substance-free lives.
Personalized Treatment Plans
Meeting different needs is an important part of a treatment program’s acumen. Some people are very eager to jump in and do the work to get well, while others need more time to heal and reorient themselves to the world now that they are sober.
Some people will go to sixty days of residential care followed by outpatient therapy, while others may choose a yearlong residential program. Often, it depends on their needs as well as their means of pay.
Most treatment centers screen for co-existing mental health disorders and will have clients get help for both at the same time.
Treatment plans should be flexible. A personalized approach helps people get the care they need at the right pace. Shorter programs may not provide enough time to address all aspects of care.
Celebrating milestones, providing emotional support, connecting with peer support groups or aftercare programs are important tools to stay on the path. These strategiesare proven to help people stay committed to treatment and maintain recovery once they leave the program.
The Best Program Is the One You Stick With
The best treatment program is one that has a track record of successes, and is the one that a person is willing to attend and stick with.Longer treatment gives addicted people the time, skills, and support needed to maintain their sobriety.
People who remain in treatment for at least 90 days are most likely to achieve lasting recovery, especially when they receive individualized care and ongoing support. Committing to a longer, comprehensive treatment program is one of the most important steps someone can take to reclaim their life from addiction.
Recovery is a journey, and staying in treatment longer improves the chances of success, but it’s not the only path. Everyone’s journey is a little different, and the decision to get sober should be encouraged and celebrated.
Reaching out for help is always the best first step, no matter what recovery path you choose. You never have to do it alone, and there will always be somebody willing to help you stay on it, one day at a time.
About the Author
In Scott Huseby’s previous career, he led one of the most respected litigation support firms in the United States. Yet beyond his professional success, Scott discovered a deeper purpose after experiencing the healing power of recovery firsthand.
That calling led him to Costa Rica, where he became the owner of Costa Rica Recovery in San José – a holistic, participant-centered haven for individuals seeking freedom from addiction. Since then, Scott has opened additional treatment centers and become the owner of Cornerstone Recovery in Santa Ana, California (United States). Now he uses his leadership and lived experience to walk alongside others on their recovery journey, offering the same hope and healing that changed his life.
To learn more about Scott and Costa Rica Recovery, call 1 (866) 804-1793 or visit www.costaricarecovery.com