One of the top concerns among people who are suffering from a drug addiction issue is how long they would have to spend in rehab if they agreed to get treatment. It’s an interesting concern given the alternative of watching one’s life spin out of control. With that said, human nature causes people to question how long things will take and how much they will cost. Before we answer the question related to how long inpatient rehab could take, we want to make two important points.
First, there are several factors you need to take into account in order to estimate how long rehab could take. The factors you would need to take into account would include:
- The depth of your addition issue
- How long you have been abusing your drug of choice
- The actual substance you have been abusing
- The amount you have been using each episode and each day
- The existence of extenuating circumstances like co-occurring disorders
Second, the time it would take to get through treatment would depend a lot on you. If you are willing to fully commit to the inpatient treatment process, you would likely benefit from a shorter treatment process. Conversely, if you were to enter rehab with the wrong attitude, it could take you longer to get through treatment than other clients. At the end of the day, it’s going to take as long as it’s going to take. Success will become apparent when you reach the point where you seem to have found the road to a stable recovery. In the next section, we will discuss the normal treatment process and in general terms about how long treatment should take.
How long is inpatient drug rehab?
Assuming you would be entering treatment while in the throes of significant drug addiction, you would most likely have to begin treatment in a medically monitored detox program. This would allow you time to safely deal with any withdrawal symptoms that might come your way. From a time perspective, you might need about a week to detox off your drug of choice. The only caveat to that estimate would be if you entered rehab with an extreme addiction to something like heroin or fentanyl. If that would be the case, you might have to go through a tapering detox program, which could last for several weeks. Once you would start therapy, your therapists will be constantly monitoring your progress. They will be most interested in how willing you are to be open and honest about the possible causes of your addiction. This matters from a time perspective because it would take longer for you to work through more issues. If there were indications that you were dealing with co-occurring disorders (addiction and a mental health issue), you could immediately assume your time in rehab would get extended. Why? The treatment of co-occurring disorders requires the use of dual diagnosis therapy.
Dual diagnosis therapy would allow you to get treatment for both disorders at the same time. Still, that would likely add time to the entire treatment process. If we were to give you a reasonable estimate of how long residential rehab would take, we would tell you to expect to spend 30 to 90 days in treatment. As we stated above, the actual time it would take would depend on your willingness to be serious about wanting recovery. If your addiction issues are extreme, you might need to commit to a long-term treatment program. That might require as much as six months before you would be able to leave rehab. Whatever time you need to invest in treatment is time added to your life. If you can beat your addiction and maintain a lasting recovery, you would be happier and healthier. A happier and healthier person is more likely to enjoy a long happy life than someone who spends a lifetime struggling with drug addiction.
We suggest you don’t let time be your guide. As we said, it’s going to take as long as it’s going to take. It’s just a matter of you doing the necessary work needed to establish a strong foundation of recovery. When you are ready to seek help, our rehab door will be open to you. When you commit to treatment, we will be there to guide you through the recovery process. If you will contact one of our staff members at 833-364-0736, they would be happy to tell you more about treatment and our inpatient treatment facility.