Residential Options for Substance Abuse Treatment

Alcoholism and drug addiction require rapid, aggressive intervention. The damage they can do is immense and the time to prevent their ravages is always limited.

To get to the heart of the matter, residential inpatient treatment is usually the preferred choice. Outpatient treatment can work in some instances, but for most addicts a more comprehensive involvement in the recovery experience is necessary to reverse unproductive life patterns.

If you have a substance abuse problem to overcome, perhaps you’ve already concluded that residential treatment makes the most sense.  If so you’d be wise to follow your instincts – after all, no one knows more about your addiction than you.

Before you proceed, however, you should take a closer look at the available residential options, to see what fits your needs the best.

Short-Term Residential Treatment

For their initial encounter with rehab, many addicts choose a 30-day, short-term stay in an addiction treatment facility.

Research shows longer stays are more likely to achieve lasting results but, if you are new to recovery, a short-term residential option may seem less intimidating or overwhelming.

Treatment regimens in these programs are concentrated and intense. If your addiction is out of control, you treatment may begin with a three-to-seven-day medical detox period that will help you get through the worst of your withdrawal symptoms.

Following detox, you will receive individual counseling but also participate in group therapy sessions, interacting with your peers as you learn more about the 12-step process. If you are in need of additional customized services, like medical monitoring for physical ailments or treatment for mental health issues, they will be provided.

Because your stay in rehab will be relatively short, your aftercare program will be extensive. You will receive regular counseling, attend meetings of 12-step groups like AA or NA, and perhaps be asked to spend some time living in a sober house or halfway house after you leave the treatment facility.

Given the strong hold addiction has on its victims, short-term residential rehab isn’t ideal. Outcomes are better for those with longer inpatient experiences. But short-term may be the best choice for you if you have financial limitations or responsibilities, at home or on the job, that prevent you from committing to a longer stay.

If you are looking for help for a loved one, you might have a better chance of convincing them to try rehab if it is limited to just one month. If it goes well and they feel comfortable they may be willing to extend their stay later on, but nothing will be accomplished if you cannot get them in the door first.

Medium-Term Residential Treatment

A 60-90 day stay in an addiction treatment facility will give you a better chance to separate from your past behavior, both physically and emotionally. With the assistance of your therapists, and input from your peers in your 12-step groups, your self-understanding will expand as the fog of substance abuse clears. Your confidence in your ability to change will grow as you gain greater perspective on the past.

When you return home after a longer stay in treatment, you will be better prepared to resist falling back into old habits. Better prepared to say ‘no thank you’ to your old “friends” when they try to tempt you back into that dangerous lifestyle.

Many people who start out with a 30-day period in rehab decide to extend their visit for another month or two. That is an attractive option for recovering addicts who are working hard to change their mindsets and know they need a bit more work to strengthen their commitment to sobriety.

Long-Term Residential Treatment

Knowing they need a more radical form of intervention, some recovering addicts choose an inpatient stay of six months or longer.

When you commit to a longer recovery program, sobriety, and the mental reprogramming that supports it, becomes a full-time lifestyle.  You become part of a healing community that is dedicated to helping you improve your coping skills so you can change your habits for good.

When you undergo therapy for addiction, you will be encouraged to look more deeply into the social, psychological and emotional factors that send you running into the arms of drugs or alcohol. This is always the case, but in a long-term residential treatment this process is central to everything.

Working with your counselors, your peers and your family members during family therapy, you will be asked to talk openly and honestly about your past, your present and your future. About your hopes and dreams along with your disappointments and failures.  This process of self-examination will help you come to terms with the experiences that led you down the path to addiction, while also helping you realize that something better is possible.

Many who choose long-term rehab have gone through numerous relapses. Their previous experience with treatment was not enough to make sobriety stick, which shows how difficult it can be to repair a damaged self-image.

The work required can be considerable, but the long-term residential option gives you the time you need to make this life change.

Luxury Residential Treatment

Luxury treatment centers offer clients access to a variety of alternative mind-body healing practices, including acupuncture, massage therapy, aromatherapy, Tai Chi, yoga, equine therapy, meditation and outdoor adventure trips. It should be noted that luxury treatment centers provide these services as a supplement to conventional treatment, not as a replacement for it.

No one would ever confuse addiction treatment with a vacation but the idea behind the luxury rehab concept is to promote general wellness, calm and a peaceful state of mind that will indirectly support an addict’s recovery from chemical dependency.

Naturally this style of rehab is expensive but, if you can afford it and the idea of luxury rehab appeals to you, we have a few excellent treatment facilities that now offer luxury options.