How Long is Drug Rehab?

In a society where everyone is bouncing between one task to the next, we have very little time to sit back and think about the path of our lives. Often our responsibilities weigh so heavy on us that it gives us little time to focus on what matters the most, ourselves. Our faced-paced lives can stop us from taking the time we need to redirect our lives during times of need. This is especially true when we look into drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Although many people want to seek treatment, sometimes the length of their stay within a facility is enough to stop them from enrolling in a program.

There is often a misconception regarding how long drug rehab is. Although there are different treatment programs available, there are many other factors that determine the length of your stay within a rehab facility. In the end, you want to make sure that you get the most out of your experience, and this may mean slowing life down for a moment to seek the help that you need. This article will reveal the truth behind one of the most common questions regarding drug rehabilitation treatment being “how long is drug rehab?” to better understand what to expect.  

How Long is Long Term Drug Rehab

Many drug rehab facilities across the country offer clients long-term or in-patient drug rehabilitation programs. During these programs, clients live on the facility property and receive treatment for their addictions 24/7. Often these programs are more helpful for treating clients who have more severe addictions or need more care and support. Long-term drug rehab can last anywhere from 30-90 plus an additional 30-90 days to complete the outpatient program. In total, you could be enrolled within a treatment program for as long as 150 consecutive days.

At Serenity Springs Recovery Center, our gender-specific men’s residential program offers our clients the serenity, support, and care they need to help fight their addictions. We provide services that focus on healing the mind, body, and spirit, which include:

• 12-step immersion 
• medical services
• individual and group therapy
• life skills and management 
• health and wellness 

These services, paired with our serine facility, which sits on 32 acres of beautiful lakefront property, help our clients fully immerse themselves into the recovery journey. Along with access to our team of medical and treatment professionals, our clients can enjoy the many amenities that we have on-site, which include: 

• full-court basketball court
• putting green and range area 
• private lake for fishing
• fully-equipped fitness center 

How Long is Short Term Drug Rehab

When it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, the most successful recoveries typically occur with long-term drug rehab. The main reason is that long-term programs give clients a better understanding of their addiction and the ability to develop healthy habits over a more extended period. Addictions to drugs and alcohol are very complex, and it is never a race to recover the quickest. The main focus should always be slow and steady. However, addictions are not the same for every individual; therefore, some clients would benefit more from a short-term drug rehab versus a longer program. 

Short-term rehab can last anywhere from 30-90 days of either in-patient or outpatient rehabilitation. At Serenity Springs Recovery Center, our clients experience the same level of care and support from both programs regardless of the length of stay within our rehabilitation programs. Our admissions coordinators and our medical and treatment professionals’ team create an individualized treatment plan for each client during your evaluation. They will use this plan to determine the length of their stay. Our approach considers each client’s uniqueness and helps us treat every client with the individual care they need to lead them to a successful recovery. 

Drug Detox

Detoxing from drugs before treatment is crucial before beginning most drug rehab programs. The duration of the detoxification process generally depends on the type and amount of substance being abused. It’s important to note that not all drugs affect the body in the same way; therefore, the detox process for various substances may differ. While some drugs may require only a few days to a week to be removed from your body, other substances may take longer to detox. 

The main reason that many clients go through a detox process before entering drug rehab is to begin their treatment in the right mindset. Detoxing is a very taxing process on the body; you can experience extreme withdrawal symptoms that can affect your body and mind. However, once the process has come to an end, you can move forward with treatment and focus on the issue at hand. This allows you to enter into treatment with a clearer mind and ready to tackle your addiction head-on. 

Medical Detox

Although most detoxes are not life-threatening, there are a variety of different factors that play a role in the process, such as:

• current health conditions 
• type of substance 
• amount of substance 
• risk factors

Before treatment, these factors will be assessed in determining your need for medical detox. During this detox process, you are under the supervision of professional medical doctors and or nurses. Since withdrawal symptoms can cause severe adverse reactions to the body, having a team of medical staff ready to handle any emergency health situations that may arise during the detox process will make it much safer and more comfortable for each client.

Opioid Detox

The United States is currently experiencing an opioid overdose epidemic. With millions of people addicted to prescription pills, opioids are increasingly linked to more and more drug addictions and deaths. Within the category of opioids, there are many different substances which include: 

• Morphine 
• OxyContin
• Codeine
• Methadone
• Hydromorphone

These prescription medications are used to treat pain and assist in mental relaxation among patients suffering from chronic pain symptoms. However, the euphoric effects of these drugs have quickly led many to become physically dependent upon these drugs, creating an addiction. 

Because of the long-term effects on the brain and body, opioid withdrawals can create a variety of different symptoms that can show up as early as a few hours to a few days after the substance has stopped; these include: 

• excessive sweating
• anxiety
• insomnia 
• high blood pressure
• rapid heartbeat
• abdominal cramping 

Cocaine Detox

America’s most infamous party drug, also known as cocaine, has plagued American society since 1905, and in 2008 the demand for cocaine made it one of the second most illegally trafficked drugs in the world. To this day, cocaine addiction has taken a toll on many people’s lives, and its usage varies through many different demographics regardless of age, gender, or social status. 

Cocaine is a stimulant which means that it makes users feel like they can do just about anything. Unfortunately, the short-term euphoria of cocaine comes with a list of long-term symptoms that can affect you even after the drug has left your body, such as:

• nose tissue disease 
• psychosis 
• lung damage 

Although everyone’s body is different, cocaine withdrawals are often not as severe as other substances such as alcohol, heroin, or prescription drugs. However, the withdrawals can include:

• insomnia 
• severe depression
• paranoia 
• fatigue  

Heroin Detox

Over the past year’s heroin has become increasingly popular among the list of illegal street drugs. Heroin is processed from the drug morphine, a naturally occurring substance found in the poppy plant. This drug can take many different forms and is taken in a variety of different ways. Heroin is highly addictive because of euphoria and a surge of pleasure from the chemicals that are released within the brain. This triggers your brain’s reward system and makes you crave the substance and feeling over and over again. 

Withdrawals can take place anywhere from 8-12 hours after use which makes stopping this highly addictive drug hard for many who are already hooked. Depending on different factors and the severity of your addiction, withdrawal symptoms can last anywhere from a week or two. They can pose serious health risks, which include:

• nausea
• sweating
• agitation
• muscle spasms 
• depression
• shaking
• abdominal pain 

The Drug Detox Process

Now that you have heard of drug detox, I am sure you’re wondering what the process looks like? In a nutshell, the process involves removing harmful substances from the body. A drug and or alcohol detox is meant to break the physical dependency on drugs and alcohol. However, this does not deal with the psychological dependence on these substances. That is where rehabilitation treatment comes into play. 

Evaluation

The first step of detox is evaluation. This is a critical component for a safe detox because it helps to factor in many different aspects of an individual’s health and drug or alcohol abuse to make them the most comfortable during the process. Evaluation can also help set up a long-term care plan that the client will go through during rehabilitation. 

Stabilization 

Throughout the detox, many clients will experience withdrawal symptoms. Some may be more severe than others, depending on a few different factors. If medical detox is taking place, this is where doctors and nurses will continually evaluate the individual’s withdrawal symptoms. The medical staff can prescribe any necessary addiction treatment medications to increase comfort and decrease potential risks.  

Entering Treatment

The final step to any detox is preparing the client to enter the rehabilitation facility. Preparing for treatment allows each client to understand their long-term care plan and know what to expect from treatment. This step can help to relieve any anxiety or worry about the journey ahead. 

How Long Do Drugs Stay in Someone’s System?

Many factors play a role in how long a drug stays in someone’s system. These factors can help determine a timeline but are only an estimation and cannot provide a definite answer; these factors include: 

• drug dosage 
• weight 
• age 
• gender 
• physical health

Because of these factors, people who use the same substance and even dosage might have the drug stay in their system for longer after use has stopped versus another person. These are average estimates on how long a drug will remain in someone’s system and continue to show up in a urine test. 

• Heroin: 1-3 days
• Cocaine: 2-3 days
• Meth: 2-3 days
• MDMA 2-4 days

Serenity Springs Recovery Center Approach

Here at Serenity Springs Recovery Center, we aim to treat our clients by healing the mind, body, and spirit. Through this approach, we can create an individualized treatment plan and use specialized interventions to address the needs of each client. Our goal is to not only rid our clients from the clutches of their addiction but to give them the tools and strategies to live a healthy and sober life outside of our programs. 

Our team of medical and treatment professionals, along with our client-to-staff ratio, helps provide top-quality care for each of our clients. With the use of compassion, respect, dedication, and support, we have seen many clients successfully recover from their addictions, and we know that anything is possible. Our programs and services are unmatched within the drug rehabilitation community, and we know that if you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction, we can help. 

Conclusion

We understand that facing your addiction head-on can be frightening. However, the sooner you receive the help you need, the sooner you’ll live a life free from drugs and alcohol. Your road to addiction recovery will take time, and this is a journey that should never be rushed. When considering seeking help, always think of the benefits you will receive after rehabilitation regardless of the length of your stay. Give us a call today, and our expert admissions coordinators will help answer any questions or concerns that you may have regarding our programs. Start your recovery journey today with us at Serenity Springs Recovery Center.