The duration of an addiction treatment program very much depends on the needs and desires of the individual – there are no set time limits for the entire process. However, it is important to remember that addiction treatment is not a quick fix treatment and that addiction is a serious brain disease.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) there are three main phases to the addiction treatment process:
- Detoxification/Stabilization
- Rehabilitation
- Continuing Care1
Stage 1, Detox
The first stage is the shortest of the three, lasting just until a person has stabilized enough from the effects of drug or alcohol withdrawal (or intoxication) to be able to participate effectively in the rehabilitation phase of treatment. Some people will not require any detox and may proceed immediately into the rehab phase. Typical detox durations can range from a couple of days to about 10 days.
Stage 2, Rehabilitation
During the residential phase of treatment, recovering addicts and alcoholics are taught or encouraged to:
- Keep making health and well being gains already begun through the detoxification stage
- Maintain abstinence (or maintain a reduction in use)
- Make positive changes in ways of thinking or functioning, to reduce a likelihood of a return to use
- Make behavioral or environmental changes to reduce the likelihood of a return to use
The duration of the rehabilitative phase can vary greatly, for example:
- Drug rehab - 30-90 days
- Outpatient addiction treatment program - 3-6 months
- Therapeutic community a year or longer
- Methadone maintenance program – can be indefinite
NIDA recommends that people spend at least 90 days in the rehabilitation phase, or at least a year, in the case of methadone.2
Phase 3, Continuing Care
People who have met the treatment goals of the rehabilitation phase will move into the third and final phase, the continuing care phase. During this phase, which should last for up to a year, the gains of the rehabilitation phase are maintained through a continuing but low intensity involvement in outpatient counseling or through other contact with professional addiction treatment staff. Many people choose to find community support during this final stage, such as involvement in a 12 steps group. Involvement in community support organizations can extend beyond the end of continuing care.
- References
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- 1. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Substance Abuse Treatment, 4th Edition, 2008, Page 96
page last update Aug 05, 2010
