How Long Is Alcohol Rehab?

The journey of recovery from alcoholism is long, but it can get easier with time, starting from the day you seek treatment and continuing through your life. The most common treatment path is to enter detox, transition to inpatient treatment, move to outpatient treatment, and plug into aftercare networks and support groups. Each step has its own timeline.

• Alcohol Detox

  • Alcohol Detox Alcohol detox tends to be shorter than detox for other commonly used substances. However, the withdrawal symptoms can still be uncomfortable and, in most cases, can last for up to a week. During the first 48 hours, your body will slowly process the last of the remaining alcohol in your system as you start experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms. The strength of symptoms peaks between the 48- and 72-hour window, but it can be felt earlier or later depending on your history of alcohol abuse, age, weight, and any other physical or mental health conditions. Typically, these symptoms lessen in severity within 4 to 7 days, with some psychological withdrawal symptoms lasting longer. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with FDA-approved medication can help alleviate certain symptoms or reduce their severity.

• Inpatient Treatment

  • Following a successful detox comes inpatient care, commonly referred to as alcohol rehab in Florida. Inpatient treatment involves remaining onsite at a treatment center for the duration of your care. This is where you can work with a dedicated recovery team to determine the best length of treatment, with 90 days or more often being the suggested duration. If you have other life obligations that may conflict with your treatment, you can discuss this with the team at the center. Rehab programs are commonly set at 90 days to give your body and mind time to recover from the damage caused by long-term alcohol use. Detox is only the first step. This treatment phase often includes bespoke therapy, counseling, and life skill-building classes that are integral in helping you heal and grow into your new sober lifestyle.

• Outpatient Treatment

  • Outpatient treatment for alcohol abuse can be broken down into a few phases that don't require you to live on-site for the 10 to 12-week program. The first 1 to 2 weeks will be spent evaluating where you are physically, mentally, and spiritually. You'll undergo self-assessment and therapeutic approaches that help the outpatient team see where you truly stand regarding your addiction and behavioral patterns. After evaluation, you'll often spend up to four weeks getting more in-depth therapy and counseling to address the underlying forces that drive your addictive tendencies. These could be previous traumas, a lack of healthy coping mechanisms, or a genetic predisposition towards alcohol abuse. The final stage of outpatient treatment, from week 5 or 6, helps you build a strong support network that eases your transition into your regular life. While you'll be equipped with the tools and resources needed to handle future cravings and impulses, recovery can be difficult to accomplish alone. Considering bringing in family or those closest to you as part of addiction treatment therapy is another option. This can help them learn what addiction means and how they can better support you on the other side of treatment.

• Lifelong Support and Aftercare

  • Completing outpatient treatment and stepping out of the rehab center at the end is a satisfying and fulfilling moment. You've committed to and completed alcohol rehab to improve your life. For a better chance at long-term sobriety, you'll want to embrace aftercare support groups you can lean on in difficult times. These will be in addition to your personal support network developed during outpatient treatment. The most common support groups are ones modeled after the traditional 12-step program, modified to reflect new discoveries and modalities entering the addiction treatment field. As your treatment comes to a close, you can plug into local groups to make sure you have a strong foundation of support when you leave the program. While relapse is a normal part of alcoholism recovery, the goal is to help you minimize the chances.

Substance and alcohol use disorders have a relapse rate of 40 to 60%, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The remainder of the patients achieved more than one year of remission from substance use, based on findings from the CDC and the Surgeon General’s office. This puts it on par with other chronic illnesses with specific treatment approaches. You shouldn’t let this number worry you, as relapse can happen one or more times leading up to achieving lifelong sobriety.