Longer drug rehab increases long-term recovery success.  The single most important component to this success?  Time.  There are factors all across the board which an impact short-term or long treatment center stays, but usually a longer stay in rehab equates with positive outcomes due to this element.

Longer rehab stays increase long-term recovery success to transitioning time to address not only the addiction, but also the factors which contributed to the individual’s addiction.  It also provides an environment where the person who has battled with addiction has time to adjust and return to a balanced state.

Evidence supporting longer drug rehab

Drug addiction behaviors have to be stopped, but addiction is a disease which always has the possibility of relapse.  Recovering from addictions takes time, and for some people, a longer rehab stay means the time needed away from their normal routine so that they can learn to cope with elements of addiction like craving management and stress.  Cravings can be a force for early relapse, and a longer stay in treatment means that the individual has the care and support which is necessary to overcome these cravings.

There are many studies on the importance of long-term rehab, and almost all of them point to the importance of a longer duration of care to improve treatment outcomes.  One study indicated that those who stayed in rehab longer than 30 days had better outcomes for employment following their stay.

Other studies found that people who stay for the duration of treatment, and then continue participating in meetings with recovery orientated people had much better levels of success at five years that the people who did not.

A study which compared four types of treatment for cocaine addiction found that long-term residential programs were far more effective than outpatient programs and short-term programs.

What are the benefits of long-term rehab?

Time is undoubtedly the greatest benefit to the attendance of long-term rehab.  A person who is overcoming addiction to drugs or alcohol will go through a period of withdrawal which can last days to weeks.

At the same time, treatment professionals are trying to identify which patients at the treatment center may have co-occurring disorders.  Someone who has abused drugs for a long time has probably suffered lots of physical consequences, including poor diet and infrequent exercise, which can leave someone in a vulnerable state regarding their health.

The healing process needs time and attention.  Sometimes, someone is physically and mentally in a state to meet the challenges which are associated with the period after treatment, and so can achieve recovery.  In many cases, though, relapse occurs multiple times before recovery is finally achieved.  Long-term rehab reduces relapse rates and helps with a smooth transition from rehab to recovery.

Who benefits from long-term rehab?

Some populations benefit more from longer treatment than others.  People who are dealing with multiple addictions of poly-substance abuse may require more time to get used to life away from the abuse of drugs.  Other people who have co-occurring disorders need some time to stabilize, and benefit from the consistency of care which is given by longer stays at rehab.

In other cases, a person might achieve recovery but then go back to a toxic living environment, or go back to a co-dependent relationship which results in the person relapsing.  A longer rehab provides a network of support to help individuals get stability within their lives as they are starting to transition out of treatment.

People who suffer from chronic pain or other serious medical conditions, or a person who has a history of relapse might also benefit from longer stays at rehab.

Who may benefit from longer rehab?

• People who are suffering with poly-substance abuse problems
• People who have co-occurring disorders
• People who are coming from codependent relationships and/or toxic environments
• Individuals who have relapsed many times in the past
• People who have chronic pain or other medical conditions

While it is certainly not essential to have a long stay at treatment centers, as some people do well with only short stays followed by the necessary post-treatment care, other people do require longer stays.  Sometimes it takes people a while to “get it”, and if this is you, do not despair!  It might be that for you to get long-term sobriety that you may need to go for a longer-stay in rehab, increase the number of meetings that you are going to, or perhaps do more of “the work”.  Whatever the case, remember that you are not along.

Here are some clips from the Caron Reviews site of people who have actually (and successfully) attended treatment centers in the past: - https://reviews.caron.org/media/