How Long Does Addiction Treatment Take?
If you are considering treatment for addiction either for yourself or for someone you love, chances are you are already wondering how long addiction treatment will take. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to answer this question as there are many factors that are contingent upon the means and length of time that it takes for an individual to recover. Addiction treatment may take mere weeks for one individual but for the next it could be a lifelong process that involves many years of psychiatric counseling and care.
Some of the factors that figure into the length of time that it takes to be effectively treated for addiction include:
- How bad the addiction is
- What type of addiction it is
- Whether there are co-occurring disorders
- Whether there are other health problems
- The involvement and desire of the addict to get sober
These are just a few of the factors that can contribute to the length of time that it takes for addiction treatment to effectively help an addict get past the physical and psychological dependence. Sometimes, addiction treatment may not work the first time or the second time, and for some recovering addicts, there will be a long term need for follow up care to ensure continued abstinence from drug abuse. These are all potential scenarios that could take place when you decide to get help for an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Don’t put a time limit on addiction treatment
The National Institute on Drug Abuse recommends that all addiction treatment programs take place over a period of no less than 90 days. This is because studies have shown that it takes 90 days to break a habit and to form new habits. For some, this process could take longer which is why there really is no hard figure to be placed on how long addiction treatment will take. It could be weeks, it could be months or it could be years.
Regardless of how long it takes to get the help that you need, one thing is certain—when addiction treatment is completed and it works, you can live a clean and sober life that is free from the burdens and the struggles of substance abuse and physical dependence. It can take some time to get used to this new style of living but most people report being very happy with the results and with their new found sobriety.
Addiction treatment may be a long and difficult journey, you may want to give up at times and you may find it difficult to go on—but each day will get a little bit easier and before you know it, you’ll have worked past the worst of the physical components of the addiction and will be on the fast track to recovery and happiness.
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