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Article Summary

A Guide To Short Term Drug Rehab

Drug, alcohol, and substance abuse and addiction are as debilitating as they are chronic. Individuals struggling with these conditions often have to get help to sober up and keep off the substances they used to abuse. This is on account of the various withdrawal symptoms common with most addictions.

Today, a wide variety of rehabilitation facilities provide addiction treatment in different settings for varied lengths of time. The period you will spend undergoing rehab, therefore, will depend on your particular needs and preferences.

Irrespective of what you choose, the rehab facility will provide you with the support, safety, and help you require to beat addiction and recover from it. As an addict, you might be concerned about rehab facilities, what to expect, the types of treatment available, and how long you will spend undergoing detoxification and rehabilitation. In the guide below, you will get answers to assuage these concerns.

Read on to find out more:

Addiction: A Scourge

Across the nation, as elsewhere in the world, addiction has been on the rise. All you have to do is look up the most recent official statistics to understand why there is such a pressing need to overcome drug and substance abuse.

Luckily, there are tons of effective rehabilitation programs designed to help prospective and current patients to overcome their dependence and addiction issues.

When you decide to check into a rehab facility to get started on your journey towards a life of sobriety, you will have to decide on how long you will be undergoing rehabilitation. To this end, you might find yourself wondering whether 30 days would be enough for you to beat your abuse and addiction issues.

In truth, research shows that the longer you spend in rehab, the easier it will be to overcome your addiction. One of the reasons given for this fact revolves around the fact that drug dependence is multifaceted. This means that it is usually a complex combination of various underlying concerns.

For instance, you might have to grapple with a limited coping mechanism, deeply ingrained beliefs and habits, as well as underlying psychological issues. In a long program, you will get the chance to understand these problems better and thoroughly address them. Further, long term drug rehab will allow you to learn what might have contributed to the development of your dependence.

That said, if you lack the time, money, or freedom to attend rehab over an extended period, a short term program is likely to work out better for you. In such a rehab, you only need to admit yourself for around 30 days (about 4 weeks) and enjoy continuous drug treatment in a residential or inpatient facility. After you check out, you can still keep on working on your addiction by taking advantage of the outpatient drug addiction services provided.

Short Term Drug Rehabilitation

Before going into short term rehab from drug abuse, you might first want to learn a little bit about addiction rehabilitation facilities, their work, and why you should consider checking into one:

Introducing Addiction Rehabilitation Facilities

Rehabilitation facilities help individuals suffering from drug and substance abuse issues. When you enroll in the programs provided, you will get the opportunity to cleanse your body of the substance you have been abusing. These facilities will also teach you how to manage your addiction, overcome your dependence, and maintain long term sobriety.

They include:

a) Inpatient Rehab Facilities

At such a facility, you will check into a residential treatment facility in the short term to receive constant care as you try getting sober.

b) Luxury or Private Rehabs

As the name suggests, these rehabilitation facilities are quite expensive and are often accompanied by resort-like settings and services, deluxe amenities, and round the clock monitoring by highly qualified health professionals.

Irrespective of the facility you attend, you will realize that most programs feature areas where you can exercise and keep fit. This is because physical activity is useful in facilitating drug addiction treatment. It will also help you maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

In luxury rehab facilities, you will receive treatment through holistic therapy techniques and cutting-edge techniques.

Bellowing this variety of therapeutic approaches and treatment settings available, many addicts (and families of addicts) often have questions about how long the addiction treatment will take.

Short Term Drug Rehab Facility

As the name suggests, a short term drug rehab facility will provide treatment from addiction in the short term. At such a facility, you will receive all the help available to enable you to overcome your drug and substance dependency in the shortest time possible. In most cases, these programs run for anywhere between 14 and 28 days.

These programs are different from long term rehab facilities in the sense that they last shorter than the typical 4 or more months you might expect at the latter. Your choice will depend on how severe your addiction is and how you respond to the facility and program provided. As such, it might be useful to remember that not all addicts are ideal candidates for short term treatment.

Most short term rehab centers cater to addicts who would not benefit were they to enroll in other rehabilitation programs, like those provided at outpatient and long term residential facilities.

In any case, most short term programs are residential, and you will call the facility home until you complete the program and receive permission to go back into society. This means that you will get to enjoy the benefits of drug rehabilitation without the added time and money expenses associated with long term treatment.

Not surprisingly, the short term facility you check into might or might require that you undergo detoxification. However, if you were to check into a long term program, you would have to go through detoxification before the rehabilitation process starts.

That said, the residential or alternative short term rehab will provide you with greater chances of successfully beating and overcoming your addiction, as well as recovering from the adverse effects of substance dependence. This is more than you would expect from a traditional facility, primarily because traditional facilities use one-size-fits-all or generalized approaches to drug addiction treatment and recovery. At a traditional facility, all clients are treated the same on the assumption that they will respond similarly when the same program is applied.

At a short term rehab, you can be sure that the fact that a certain program or treatment regimen worked for a previous client does not necessarily mean that it will also work for you.

Therefore, it might be in your best interest to consider short term drug and substance abuse rehabilitation. Most of these programs will provide you with the modern therapies and customized programs to address your problems and afflictions while ensuring you receive personalized treatment. Further, a short term facility will have home-like environments as well as peer support - two factors that have been shown to contribute substantially to addiction recovery.

Examples of short term treatment facilities for drug addiction and substance abuse include but are not limited to:

  • 1 Week Drug Detox
  • 14 Day Drug Treatment Centers
  • 2 Week Detox Program
  • 21 Day Drug Rehabilitation Programs
  • 28 Day Drug Rehab Facilities
  • 30 Day Treatment Centers
  • 7 Day Drug Rehabs

Treatment Settings

At a short term drug rehab, the facilities will have been designed in such a way that they will provide you with the safe and sober environment you need to recover quickly. These centers will also be looking to make you feel at ease and as comfortable as possible.

In most cases, you will find that the inpatient facility is located in a hospital. This is unlike long term rehabilitation centers, the great majority of which are typically located in private residential facilities.

It is also different from luxury residential rehabilitation facilities, many of which can be found in remote or scenic locations (or both). At such a facility, patients will be allowed to relax and socialize with more sober peers.

The Effectiveness Of Short Term Rehab

While considering short term rehab facilities, it is imperative that you think about the efficiency of the program, the chances of your recovery, as well as the associated time and financial costs implied before you even check into the center.

That said, if you number yourself among the millions of Americans struggling with drug and substance abuse and addiction, this might be the opportunity you most likely were looking forward to discussing. By the end of the program, you will be in a better position to ask for help and undergo rehabilitation before you start your new life.

However, before you sign up with any of the programs available in your area, there are some things you need to keep in mind - chief of which would be how effective it is and the chances that you will enjoy greater sobriety after you've invested in such a service/product.

Even though 30 days will seem long to you a first, this is a relatively short term option especially when you compare it to undergoing rehab for 60 to 90 days, or more. As with other approaches to treatment, your circumstances and personal history will eventually determine the program that is best suited to your needs, and whether all you require is a 30-day program.

Of course, you might also want to visualize addiction as an iceberg. This means that most people will see only the surface of the problems associated with addiction - including, but not limited to problems with school or work, relationship problems, money issues, and physical deterioration. Further, drug and substance addiction is a multi-faceted problem, with a lot more lying beneath the surface of the proverbial iceberg. As a direct result, the addiction will affect you physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically.

As an addict, you might also struggle from a variety of mental health disorders. Studies show that many substance abusers and addiction often suffer from bipolar disorder and/or depression.

At other time, your personal history of sexual or physical abuse might be a deciding factor in your addiction. It could even be the main reason why you started abusing drugs in the first place.

Depending on the length of time you have been abusing drugs, your doctor can help you determine whether short term drug rehabilitation - such as that provided through a 30-day program - will work out.

Pros And Cons Of Short Term Rehab

As with most other forms of treatment from drug and substance use, abuse, dependence, and addiction, there are disadvantages and advantages you should expect when you sign up for short term treatment.

Before making an educated and informed decision, therefore, it might be useful for you to understand your decision, what you have decision, and what you should keep in mind going forward.

You should also weigh the various pros and cons that come with signing up for and attending a 30-day inpatient program. By so doing, you will be better placed to decide whether you should sign up for such a program or you should consider another alternative.

Remember, most people might not prefer to stay too long undergoing treatment. Therefore, you need to consider the following advantages and disadvantages of short term rehabilitation.

PROS

Here are some of the benefits you stand to gain when you opt for the short term rehab facility:

a) Less Time Consuming

Many short term treatment programs will have you up on your feet in a couple of minutes and ensure that your problems at addressed in the shortest timeframe. As such, these programs will typically take less time while simultaneously helping you get back to your normal life much faster.

If you have a child or your job is demanding - and you can't logically get out of these situations - then this program will prove convenient.

b) Minimizing Life Disruption

Many addicts will put off their attendance to an inpatient drug abuse rehab because they believe that they are too busy. In case you have a demanding lifestyle (such as family and school demands), a short term rehab will be perfect. This means that such a facility will allow you to focus more on getting the help you have been looking for, without simultaneously feeling that you are missing out on the nuances of daily life.

c) Affordability

Although you shouldn't let money be the primary deciding factor as you seek help, it might be useful for you to learn that most short term drug rehab facilities are likely to cost even less. This is because the doctors will provide quick treatments.

d) Highly Focused

People in short term programs usually have little time to idle about. Instead, they receive full rehab treatment plans in a highly condensed time frame. Due to these time constrictions, most of these facilities are focused on your success. However, there will be little time to dedicate to relapse discussions or any other underlying problematic concerns.

CONS

a) Less Time to Recover

At a short term drug rehab, there will be less time for you to recover before you are discharged. In some situations, drug addicts often send up to 2 weeks just to go through the withdrawal stage on the road to recovery.

As you undergo the withdrawal symptoms, you will feel short tempered, grumpy, weary, and physically uncomfortable. In short, it follows that you won't be in your best possible mood. At this point, you might not be able to focus on the treatments being provided.

As you might have guessed, it is quite difficult for a drug addict to recover and take up the treatment if they are unable to focus. In case your withdrawal symptoms take so long, then it means that you will spend close to half of your treatment time just recovering from your past use.

b) Future Frustrations

For many addicts, 30 days of treatment will provide a rewarding and effective program. However, other addicts will need more help and more time before they ultimately overcome their substance abuse and dependence.

For instance, if you spend your first two weeks dealing with your withdrawal symptoms, you will only be left with another fortnight to work on any other abuse and addiction concerns.

In many cases, attending rehab in the short term does not necessarily guarantee that you will automatically stay sober and never relapse. As a patient, you might feel emotionally demoralized and financially drained because you have to continue returning to the same kind of rehab after quitting drugs, receiving treatment, and resuming your abuse after a short while.

In such a situation, you will find that short term drug rehab will eventually become more expensive, time-consuming, and more disruptive that attending a rehab program for the long term.

In fact, research seems to be in favor of long term drug rehab. Although you might soon number among the many who have achieved sobriety after undergoing rehabilitation for 30 days or fewer, recent statistics show that attending a long term program (60 to 90 days) will increase your chances of success. Such attendance is also likely to decrease your opportunities to relapse.

Although all patients are different, the truth is that there are fewer chances of remaining sober after attending a short term rehab as compared to if you had opted for a longer program.

Since you know that the obligation will be temporary, the chances are high that you might not be fully committed to the process. Additionally, you might find yourself counting down to the day you will go home and resume your normal lifestyle instead of staying focused on the therapy you are receiving.

Finding Short Term Drug Rehab Centers

That said, some patients have been successful after undergoing short term rehabilitation. However, not every rehab program is the same. If you are intent on recovery, here are some factors to think about while choosing the right treatment center:

1. Staff

The first thing you should look at is the quality of the staff working at the short term drug rehab. Although not everyone would have an MD or a Ph.D., at least one of them should be a qualified doctor, medical practitioner, or licensed psychologist.

Further, most of the members of staff should have experience and expertise dealing with drug dependency and addictions. Additionally, it would be helpful if everyone on staff were knowledgeable about the particular type of addiction you are suffering from and wish to find closure with.

2. Treatment Techniques

You might also want to ensure that the addiction rehabilitation facility applies techniques that have been studied extensively and found to be effective at dealing with addiction. Otherwise referred to as evidence-based treatment practices, these techniques should be tailored to the particular type of substance you abuse.

Where possible, only choose a facility that uses evidence-based treatments. This is the best way for you to achieve the long term sobriety you yearn for. Here are some of the strategies you should consider:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Contingency Management
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment
  • Motivational Enhancement Therapy
  • The Community Reinforcement Approach
  • The Matrix Model

3. Aftercare Opportunities

Although the program might only be a short term rehab, you might want to find out if the facility will continue providing you with any assistance to ensure you do not relapse after recovery.

Where present, the aftercare plans should have been developed to mirror you condition all through the treatment process specifically. Additionally, it should be tailored to your particular needs and preferences.

Due to the nature of their programs, most short term drug rehabilitation facilities provide follow-up care through on-site outpatient therapy. Others will refer you to 12-step meetings and private therapy.

Similarly, a great majority will also provide you with the aftercare planning you are going to need even before you complete the program. By so doing, the rehab will set you off on the right footing, and provide you with the extra support you might need after you graduate from the facility.

However, you might still want to ask them about any affiliate aftercare programs they are in partnership with, as well as the available in-treatment aftercare planning provided even before you select the program.

4. Flexible Schedules

Where possible, you should look for a facility that provides allowances for patients to extend their treatment as the need arises. This way, you will be able to make a long term commitment if the initial short term rehabilitation does not work as you had anticipated.

Low-Cost Rehab Centers

If you are a serious drug addict, the chances are high that your finances are depleted on account of the habit you acquired. You might have drained your accounts and sold off most of your assets.

In such a precarious position, it might be difficult for you to recover from your addiction unless you get help from family and friends. However, it is also likely that you already sidelined those who would have helped it during the period you were deep into the ravages of drug and alcohol abuse.

To get help, the best option might be to turn to a low-cost rehab center for short term treatment before you get your life back on track. Remember, poverty and lack of finances are some of the leading causes of delayed rehabilitation, but you shouldn't let these issues get in your way.

By choosing a short term rehab facility, you can ease the financial burden that might prevent you from seeking the treatment you solely need. Whether you are addicted to opiates and meth, or you suffer from painkiller and prescription drug abuse, finding the right treatment center will make a world of difference to the way your life eventually turns out.

Quality Low-Cost Rehab Centers

However, even as you look for financial support, you might want to check the quality of care you can expect to receive. One of the dangers faced by poor addicts who lack the means to attend high-end treatment facilities lies in the poor quality of care they end up receiving.

If you seek rehabilitation but end up feeling that you were helped, your chances of relapsing will go up. In the future, you might even decide never to ask for help from another treatment program.

To this end, it would be wise if you took the time to look for the right program, with the best practices, and the highest quality of service available to you. Only by checking into such a facility will you be able to recover fully, turn your life around, and continue fighting your addiction from a position of strength.

Fortunately, many short term rehab facilities provide low-cost options accompanied by high-quality care. All you need to do is research until you get to the right center. At this point, you will be able to take money out of the equation and work towards finding the most effective drug addiction treatments available.

That said, the key to succeeding lies in undergoing short term rehab and combining this with ongoing/continuing treatment in individual and group settings - such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Remember, the longer you stick to the program, the higher your chances of a sober life and successful recovery.

FAQ Section

Q: How many types of short term drug rehab programs are there?

A: There are three main types of short term treatment programs. These include:

  1. Residential Rehabilitation: Here, you get to live in the facility as you receive treatment. The program typically includes detoxification, individual therapy, group therapy, medical care, and participation in a 12 step support group.
  2. Luxury Rehabilitation: In this center, you will receive the same services provided by a residential program. However, the treatment will also include services you might find at a resort or hotel, including tennis, swimming, horseback riding, and spa treatments.
  3. Executive Rehabilitation: Otherwise referred to as CEO rehabs, these programs are tailored for working professionals who might still have to keep in touch with their colleagues, employees, and clients. Patients continuing to work on their responsibilities even as they receive treatment.

Q: What Happens At a Short Term Rehab?

A: First, a staff member, such as a certified therapy, will evaluate your condition and assess how severe your addiction is. They will also check for any co-occurring mental health issues in need of treatment (dual diagnosis).

In case they make a dual diagnosis, they will provide you with the treatments to deal with both the mental health issues and the substance abuse problem. In the process, the staff members will work towards maximizing your progress towards full recovery while also reducing the risk of relapsing.

After evaluation, the rehab therapist will create personalized treatment plans to help deal with your particular situation and needs.

Q: Is a Short Term Rehab Facility Right For Me?

A: Many patients opt for short term rehabilitation because it lacks long term commitment while allowing them the escape the everyday environment that causes them to abuse drugs and other substances. At such a facility, therefore, you will get the chance to focus on your recovery with no distractions or risks.

Further, short term rehab is the best option for people who are not sure about what they should expect from detoxification and rehabilitation but would not want to commit to a long term residential program.

To ensure that the particular treatment center you are considering is perfect for your situation, research the following:

  • The type of treatments provided
  • The addictions they specialize in
  • The availability of licensed and credentialed members of staff
  • The specialization and personalization of treatment programs, if any

As far as possible, only sign up with a short term rehab facility that shows high success rates. You might want to pick a service that uses evidence-based treatments.

Q: What Happens After I Leave?

A: Before you complete your rehabilitation, the therapist you were working with will create personalized aftercare plan to boost your recovery post-rehab. This type of aftercare treatment will provide you with support to prevent you from relapsing.

To ensure that the plan succeeds, ensure that you follow it to the letter. Some standard aftercare options include, but are not limited to:

  • 12-step programs
  • Group counseling
  • Individual therapy
  • Support groups

These options will allow you to build upon and expand the communication and coping skills you learned while undergoing short term inpatient rehab.

Conclusion

Overall, finding the right short term drug rehab facility will make a world of difference in your experiences and the quality of care you will receive while undergoing treatment. This is why it is so important that you take the time to research every facility available until you get one that meets your requirements in the best way possible. Get started today and watch as your life changes from the moment you decide to wave goodbye to drugs and addiction.

CITATIONS

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15540492

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15540492

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230395/

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/drug-addiction-treatment-in-united-states/types-treatment-programs

https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/675-principles-of-drug-addiction-treatment-a-research-based-guide-third-edition.pdf

https://www1.udel.edu/chem/C465/senior/fall00/DrugAddiction/Drugtreatment.html

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