How Long is Rehab?

Do you find yourself knowing you need drug or alcohol rehab but concerned with how long it will take? It is a legitimate concern. However, getting well is far more important than any time constraints you might be facing. If you are suffering from any kind of abuse or addiction problem, your first priority should be conquering it.

We are here to help you if you are ready to get started. We are an independent referral and counselling organisation offering treatment to addicts of all kinds through private clinics and other service providers. We make it our job to stay abreast of every available treatment option in order to recommend what is most suited to your circumstances. When you call us, we will walk you through those options.

As for how long rehab will take, there are a number of things to consider. For example:

• What substance or substances are you addicted to?
• How long have you been using said substances?
• How severe is your abuse or addiction problem?
• What types of therapies would be most effective for you?

When you call our addiction helpline, one of our specialists will ask you a series of questions in order to determine the extent of your problem. From there, we will be able to give you a reasonable assessment of the best types of treatment and how long each one will take. If you don’t want to call us, you can get a similar assessment from your GP.

Planning Your Rehab

Planning your rehab programme will be the responsibility of the staff at the clinic you decide to use. If you choose to avail yourself of NHS services, your doctor will design your treatment plan. Nevertheless, please be advised that the NHS tends to rely on a one-size-fits-all approach that may, or may not, work for you.

We usually recommend residential rehab at a private clinic to hard-core addicts with a long history. Those who have not yet reached that level of addiction may be best served by outpatient services offered through private clinics or community-based organisations. However, because these outpatient services do not usually involve time constraints, we will focus the remainder of our comments on residential rehab programmes.

The time involved with residential rehab will be discussed during your initial assessment. Some people can undergo medically supervised detox with no need for any sort of follow-up therapy. For these individuals, treatment can be complete within 7 to 10 days.

If it is determined that detox is all you’ll likely need, you could take some time off from work while planning to be right back in a week or so. Nevertheless, we advise you to use caution. Most addicts who need detox have a severe enough addiction as to necessitate some sort of follow-up treatment.

Residential Rehab

Assuming you need more than just detox, we will likely advise you to consider a residential treatment programme that includes therapies in the weeks following detox. As for the time involved, it varies. The shortest programmes usually last about four weeks in total, including detox. The longest programmes are typically about 12 weeks.

Determining whether you need a shorter or longer programme is the job of the clinicians who will meet with you when you first arrive in a residential clinic. Of course, your budget will be taken into account when planning your treatment. As long as you can afford a longer stay and you’ll benefit from it, that will likely be the recommendation you’ll receive.

Keep in mind that a shorter stay does not necessarily mean your chances for long-term success are lower. As we mentioned earlier, how much time you will need in rehab depends on too many factors to say that one length of treatment is superior to another.

Likewise, you may be recommended for a four-week programme only to discover you are not quite ready to leave when your discharge date arrives. You might be allowed to stay if space is available and your budget allows. Otherwise, you might be discharged under the expectation that you will take advantage of aftercare and community-based services.

The Aftercare Factor

There are times when those who call us for help make the mistake of believing that rehab is that ’silver bullet’ destined to free them forever. The truth is much different. Your time in rehab is just the start of a lifelong commitment to permanent abstinence. Keep in mind that abstinence is the only real cure for drug or alcohol addiction.

Assuming you were to participate in a 12-week programme at a private clinic, your recovery would not end on your discharge date. You would actually be just getting started. In the weeks and months following your residential treatment you would be undergoing further treatments through the aftercare programme the clinic designed for you.

That aftercare programme would likely include some, or all, of the following:

• one-on-one counselling with a professional
• attendance at support group meetings
• participation in a 12-step programme
• participation in life skills training programmes.

With aftercare, you are continuing your rehab even though you are no longer residing in a residential facility. You are, in essence, combining rehab with a reintegration into normal life. Once your aftercare programme as complete, you may still want to access community-based services as a means of preventing future relapse.

It is important to consider time constraints when you are looking for the best rehab. However, the amount of time it takes to get well is secondary to the actual process of doing so. It does no good to enrol in a programme that gets you through as quickly as possible if it does not actually help you break the addiction cycle.

If you need help finding appropriate treatment, you’ve come to the right place. We know exactly what is out there at any given time, making it fairly easy for you to get started on the road to recovery. You can do so today by calling our addiction recovery helpline using the phone number listed on this website. We are ready and waiting to assist you.