How long will my treatment last at a drug rehabilitation center?

Once you have started on the road to recovery from your drug addiction, you will find that the answer to the question “How long will this take?” is one that depends entirely on you but your drug rehabilitation center will help you every step of the road.

Any professional at any drug rehabilitation center will tell you that every patient is different; the effects of their addiction are different while the response to treatment is even more unique to each patient. There is no linear progression that all patients follow from starting a course of treatment or therapy to recovery. Some patients respond extremely well to treatment while others need more time or indeed, need to try a range of therapies before they find a regime that they respond to. Each individual patient will have different levels of motivation and that motivation will change from time to time as therapy progresses.

The key thing to bear in mind, is that each day that is drug free is another positive step in the road to recovery and a drug rehabilitation center and it’s staff will have seen patients of all kinds and helped them overcome their drug dependency. Drug rehabilitation requires serious commitment from patients, families and loved ones as well as the staff at the drug rehabilitation center itself.

The drug rehabilitation center you choose to help you with your substance dependency will be able to offer guidance and counseling. The victims of drug dependency include those associated with the patient such as family and loved ones. The behavioral issues that are usually associated with drug dependency and the impact on family and close associates in particular can be very traumatic. Relationships that a patient has are very often fractured and damaged, sometimes completely broken and the drug rehabilitation center will be staffed by professional counselors who have the experience of dealing with the damage caused and helping the patient and those affected reconcile and work together to improve the possibility of a successful outcome to treatment.

Within a drug rehabilitation center, a wide range of professionals and expertise will be brought to bear to assess your condition. This is highly personalized to determine the nature and severity of the dependency and also to explore some of the surrounding circumstances in connection with the possible causes of the dependency in terms of social and other health issues. Assessment will also seek to discover the full extent of your health and diagnose any other conditions that may be affecting the patient. Many patients present conditions that are frequently to be found with drug dependence such as alcohol abuse or mental health issues. These too must be taken into account and a treatment regime implemented accordingly.

Detoxification represents for many patients the biggest hurdle and also the process that many patients have the greatest negative feelings about when considering seeking treatment for their dependency. Detox needs to be handled under medical supervision and this poses one of the most demanding challenges for a drug rehabilitation center. How detox is handled will depend on the severity of dependence and the health of the individual. A drug rehabilitation center may handle detox in several ways, and in all except the mildest of dependency cases this will be handled under close medical supervision.

In those cases where the physical health of the patient is poor and the level of dependency severe, the drug rehabilitation center may arrange for rapid detoxification under anesthesia. This process can be accomplished in only a few hours and alleviates the stresses upon the patient of drug withdrawal. Other forms of detoxification include the use of medication under close medical supervision to help sedate the patient and allow them to cope with the effects of withdrawal. Withdrawal effects can be severe for both the patient and their loved ones, and you will find that a drug rehabilitation center will arrange for counseling for all concerned as to what to expect and the issues involved. In most cases detoxification takes between three and fourteen days to complete, however this does nothing to address the underlying causes of dependency. Detoxification prepares the body and cleanses the system of the drug that is creating the dependency in the patient and makes them ready for the next, lengthier stage of their treatment regimen.

After detoxification, a range of combinative therapies will be deployed to help the patient. Medical intervention to alleviate the effects of the compulsion associated with drug use will help curb the desire to return to drug use. Of greatest benefit for many however is the therapeutic treatments that focus upon improving self-awareness and understanding of the reasons driving drug use. Depending on the severity of the dependency, the post detox treatment may take place as an inpatient or as an outpatient. Many dependencies can be treated effectively on an outpatient basis; some moderately dependent patients require some residential respite in order to maximize the possibility of a successful outcome which may last a month to six months, while the severest of cases may require hospitalization for up to a year while the patient receives intensive therapy.

A common thread with the treatment regime put in place will be the post discharge plans to help reintegrate into life outside of the drug rehabilitation center. Patients need the help of a network of support that includes the drug rehabilitation center as well as family and friends. Contingence plans will be formulated to help the patient and their loved ones deal with the compulsion to return to drug use that may arise, and in those cases where there is a relapse, swift action can be instituted to remedy the situation and bring care to the patient.

There is no simple, straight forward answer to how long will treatment take and a recovery made. For those that respond well to treatment and have the appropriate motivation and support, a successful recovery and a productive, constructive lifestyle free of drugs can be achieved within a relatively short period of time. For others the road is longer and requires a greater degree of commitment to healing. For all recovering patients, the legacy of drug dependency is a lifetime challenge to maintain their self-control and repudiate the use of drugs.