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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 48.7 million people struggled with a substance use disorder in 2022.[1]
Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease that can negatively impact every area of your life. For example, substance use disorders can cause mental health issues, long-term physical health conditions, social isolation, financial distress, and even legal troubles. Because of its wide-reaching effects, professional treatment is necessary to achieve long-term recovery.
Traditional addiction treatment programs only offer 30 to 60 days within the facility. While this is enough time for some people to recover, you might need a little extra help. This is why long-term substance abuse treatment was created.
Long-term rehab programs offer treatment plans that last 90 days or more. They can provide you with many benefits, from extra time in detox and in-depth therapy to a separation from triggers and more time to engage in relapse prevention planning.
What are the Benefits of Long-Term Rehab?
Long-term treatment centers offer longer programs to clients who need 90 days or more to develop the skills and tools necessary to recover from addiction. These programs are associated with higher success rates, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that 90 days or more of treatment is necessary for long-term effectiveness.[2]
Six benefits of extended addiction treatment facilities include:
1. Ample Time for Detox
The first step in addiction recovery is always medical detox. Detox allows you to overcome withdrawal symptoms in a safe and supportive setting. Sometimes, overcoming withdrawal can take upwards of 2 weeks, which could cut into precious time that should be spent working in therapy and developing relapse prevention skills.
When you attend a long-term residential treatment program, you do not need to rush through the detox process. Whatever time is spent in detox will not affect your ability to receive the psychological and behavioral services you need to recover from addiction.
2. Separation from Triggers
Treatment options like outpatient programs require you to live at home while you commute to treatment sessions during the day. While this can be beneficial in some cases, it does leave you susceptible to triggers from the outside world. At early stages in recovery, coming into contact with triggers can derail the progress you’ve made.
When you attend a long-term rehab facility, you’ll have at least 90 days of separation from the outside world and negative influences. This is especially beneficial for people who share a home with others who engage in substance abuse.
3. In-Depth Therapy
Therapy is a vital aspect of addiction treatment. Individual, group, and family therapy sessions help you uncover the root causes of addiction, identify triggers, develop coping mechanisms, and repair broken relationships to receive a higher level of support. Having extra time to engage in extensive therapy before you return home can be highly beneficial.
Additionally, 21.5 million people struggle with co-occurring mental health conditions.[3] When you attend a long-term rehab program, you have plenty of time to engage in dual diagnosis services. In other words, if you need to recover from a mental health condition during your addiction treatment program, long-term rehab might be right for you.
4. Structure and Supervision
Lacking structure in your daily life makes it easier to fall back into bad habits like substance abuse. By choosing long-term rehab, you ensure that you will receive highly structured days for at least three months. As a result, you will develop healthy routines that you can carry on into your daily life outside of treatment.
Additionally, it is important to note that long-term rehab offers 24/7 supervision. This prevents you from being able to engage in unhealthy behaviors. You’ll also have constant access to support, which makes the early phase of recovery easier to cope with.
5. Extra Time for Holistic Care
While evidence-based addiction recovery practices are important, holistic care is also hugely beneficial for people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. To explain, the word “holistic” refers to the whole body. This means that holistic services help you recover mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
In a short-term rehab program, you might not have that much time to engage in activities like meditation, yoga, massage, or nutritional counseling. However, long-term rehab programs offer the extra time you need to take care of your mind, body, and soul.
6. Extensive Relapse Prevention Planning
Because long-term rehab lasts for at least 90 days, you’ll have 3 months (at a minimum) to prepare yourself for sobriety in the real world. Extended addiction treatment centers use this time to help you develop relapse-prevention skills that will lessen your chances of relapsing once you leave the program.
In other words, the main benefit of long-term addiction treatment is a lowered chance of relapsing in the future.
Get Connected to a Long-Term Addiction Treatment Center Near You
If you or a loved one suffers from addiction, it’s time to consider your treatment options. While short-term rehab might be right for some people, long-term programs are guaranteed to provide you with the time you need to recover fully.
At the Mandala Healing Center, we offer long-term addiction treatment to those who need it. Contact us today to learn more about our extended-care drug rehab program.
References:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): HHS, SAMHSA Release 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Co-Occurring Disorders and Other Health Conditions
