The Choice for Long-Term Rehab and Drug Recovery Options

What are the Benefits of Long-Term Rehab when it Comes to Recovery?

You may suggest that limiting recovery is backwards – the most important factor in determining success is whether the patient can overcome his/her dependency to alcohol or drugs. This means that the program is ‘over’ when the patient feels confident in his or her own ability to do that, not when a certain number of days have been reached.

Why Did Short-Term Options Become Popular?

When we talk about shorter, finite programs, many people are unaware that it was the insurance companies who initially implemented these limitations. Most people struggle to pay for recovery without insurance, so when insurance companies decided to limit the number of days they would pay for treatment (usually around 30 days) it certainly had an impact. Even though it might not give the professionals enough time to provide the treatment needed to end addiction permanently, the alternative option (not providing help at all because of an inability to pay without insurance) also seemed less than desirable.

Long-Term Rehab Programs

Many people are frustrated when they hear that there is no guaranteed time in rehab that will work for everyone. However, recovery experts and research statistics do point out the fact that longer programs (meaning 90 days or more) are considerably more successful in helping a patient maintain long-term sobriety.

There are a number of reasons why qualified experts believe this to be true:

• A longer time in recovery equates to more time to understand and resolve underlying issues that are causing the addiction. When a patient arrives at a recovery program, they often have to undergo detoxification first. After detox is complete, they have to adjust to being in a full-time facility. After that adjustment period is complete, actual treatment can begin. Considering that these two initial periods may last upwards of two weeks, it means that the first part of the process is already spent just getting adjusted. Having only 14 or so days left is not likely to be enough time to provide lasting change.
• Long-term rehab inpatient treatment centers can break the cycle of dependence, it does that by providing a safe space to remain sober for extended periods. Without possible distractions, it means that the patient can focus on recovery, a step that is already difficult in its own right. The focus remains where it should be by eliminating outside interference and distractions.
• The abuse of addiction to illicit substances is not a ‘new’ problem for most users. Few patients seek help after a few months, let alone a few weeks. Long-term drug rehabs focuses on identifying the destructive habit patterns that these patients follow and will help them identify and eliminate these patterns. This goes beyond sobering the patient up; it means understanding the issues internally and learning to find ways to deal with them without having a possible relapse.
• The famous drug PSA’s were not lying, the abuse of drugs or alcohol takes a tremendous physical toll on the body. These longer rehab options provide an extended period of physical rest and care. Oftentimes, the patients begin to notice they are sleeping and eating better than before. They may even experience a general sense of physical well-being. Both the physical and emotional health begins to improve over time. Having improved physical and emotional health will reduce the overall need to use illicit substances again in the future.