How Long Will Addiction Treatment Take?
The length of addiction treatment varies from person to person and program to program. Every patient progresses through their recovery program at a different rate, so your treatment stay is going to depend on your individual needs. However, typically longer treatment stays are associated with more positive treatment outcomes.1
Treatment Stay Lengths
How long you attend drug addiction treatment may depend on the treatment setting—due to the flexibility of schedule and lower cost, outpatient treatment may frequently last longer than inpatient rehab.
Inpatient Rehab
Inpatient addiction treatment involves living at the center for the duration of your treatment program. You receive around-the-clock care and supervision in a highly-structured treatment setting. You adhere to the program’s strict routine, which often consists of various group and individual therapies, alternative or holistic therapies, support groups, and drug education classes. Many people find it easier to focus at an inpatient addiction treatment program since they are separated from their using environment and are confronted with minimal triggers or life stressors.
However, inpatient treatment requires you to put your everyday life on hold while recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. You often have to make arrangements for childcare and pet care, take a leave of absence from work or school, and manage any other responsibilities, all of which will affect how long you can reasonably stay at treatment.
There are three common treatment lengths for rehab, including:
- 30-day rehabs
- 60-day rehabs
- 90-day rehabs
While many patients are able to obtain and maintain sobriety after a 30-day or 60-day rehab program, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggests that 90-day rehab stays are associated with better treatment outcomes.1
Inpatient rehab is the most intensive recovery option, often taking place in a hospital-based setting or with access to ongoing medical care. Residential treatment facilities are a step down from that. You still live at the recovery center for the duration of treatment, but it is in a home-like environment. And while you may still have access to a nurse or doctor, it is not on a 24/7 basis. Consequently, residential programs have long-term options, with stays lasting as long as 180 days.
If you are looking for the right rehab program for you, we are here to help. Call our confidential helpline 888-647-0051 (Who Answers?) to make a positive change in your life and overcome your addiction.
Outpatient Rehab
Outpatient rehab can occur in several settings, including:2
- Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs): The most intensive option, you attend treatment for 4-6 hours per day, for at least 5-7 days per week.
- Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs): A step down from a PHP, an IOP involves treatment for at least 9 hours per week.
- Standard outpatient programs: The least structured outpatient option, you attend therapy for just a couple hours each week.
PHPs and IOPs typically have a predetermined period of time you attend them, as opposed to occurring on an ongoing basis. This is because they tend to be more expensive than standard outpatient care and also require a significant weekly commitment. The average stay for a PHP is between 3 and 4 weeks, although some people stay for several months.3 Again, it largely depends on the patient’s needs.
Conversely, you may attend standard outpatient care on an ongoing basis, with individual therapy occurring 2-3 times per week early on in your recovery. You and your therapist may gradually reduce the frequency to once per week or even once every two weeks after you’ve spent a significant amount of time in treatment and have a solid foundation for your recovery.
Methadone Maintenance
Methadone is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of opioid addiction and dependence. It binds to opioid receptors in the brain and reduces cravings, reduces the risk of relapse, mitigates opioid withdrawal symptoms, and blocks the effects of opioids of abuse like heroin.4
Patients typically take methadone as part of a medication-assisted treatment program, which also includes counseling. Methadone is often administered during opioid detox to ease withdrawal symptoms but it is also frequently taken in the long term as methadone maintenance. For the best treatment outcome, methadone maintenance should last at least 12 months, while many patients choose to take methadone for many years.1,4
Factors that Affect Your Addiction Treatment Length
Many factors may affect how long you stay at your addiction treatment program, including:
- Cost of the program
- The extent of your insurance coverage
- Your schedule and flexibility
- The severity of your addiction
- The presence of a co-occurring mental health disorder, such as panic disorder or depression
- Your readiness to return home
- Your motivation for change
Ultimately, everyone’s treatment stay is going to be individualized according to their treatment plan, and that treatment plan may change throughout the recovery process according to how a patient is progressing and if they are experiencing any roadblocks.
Treatment on a Continuum of Care
When you complete an inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment program, your recovery process isn’t over. In fact, recovery is lifelong and occurs on a continuum of care and ongoing support. For example, many people who finish an inpatient program may transition into what’s known as “step-down” care, in the form of a partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient program. These programs provide therapy and counseling to continue building upon the foundation formed in inpatient treatment.
Others may choose to live in a sober living home or halfway house, which are substance-free residential homes where people may live while transitioning back into everyday life. The length of stay ranges considerably but may be up to a year. People can choose to live in a sober living home for as long as they desire, though, as long as they follow the house rules, which may vary but always involve abstaining from drugs and alcohol.
Other forms of ongoing support include attending Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or SMART Recovery meetings where you can find a supportive and empowering recovery community. Many recovering individuals find these support groups extremely helpful and attend meetings for life.
Resources
1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). How long does drug addiction treatment usually last?
2. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2014). Principles of Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Research-Based Guide: Treatment Settings.
3. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Research, Development, and Information. (2009). Impacts Associated with the Medicare Psychiatric PPS: A Study of Partial Hospitalization Programs.
4. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Methadone.
