As with any form of substance abuse, alcohol addiction requires time to treat. However, the exact alcohol rehab duration depends on your needs, along with other specific factors we will discuss below.
Take note that there’s no one-size-fits-all program for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Here at LA Wellness Home, we personalize our approach and treatment duration based on the specific needs of our residents. But to give you a preview of how we determine the duration of alcohol treatment, we discussed here a few key points.
What’s the average alcohol rehab duration?
The average time in alcohol rehab is around 28 to 30 days. However, this duration is on a sliding scale, depending on the specific condition of a person.
For example, other rehab centers offer a 7-day program for mild cases of alcohol dependence. However, for severe to chronic situations, a 30-day program is often the minimum stay in alcohol rehab. In fact, we may recommend a longer stay if we think that a resident requires more clinical attention to achieve long-term sobriety.
So, if a person has a chronic case of AUD, the treatment program can stretch to 60 to even 90 days. After that, he will have the option to transition to outpatient care for further support and monitoring.
It’s important to understand that the length of your rehab isn’t meant to be a negative thing. In fact, longer stays are often done with a positive and caring intention to ensure that you or your loved one with drinking problems won’t relapse.
Overall, the quality of treatment you’ll receive is far more important than the time needed for alcohol recovery. You can always opt for shorter programs, but if it’s not enough for you to recover, it will not give you long-term results.
Factors affecting the length of stay for alcohol rehab
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the alcohol rehab duration varies for every person. Some factors are at play here, which are unique to every resident who comes to us for help. Here are some that we usually encounter:
1. The severity of addiction
The alcohol rehabilitation timespan largely depends on the person’s severity of addiction. If you or your loved one has severe or chronic addiction, expect that your stay in the rehab center will take longer than usual.
We will determine a person’s severity of alcohol addiction during the professional diagnostic as part of our admissions process.
2. History of alcohol abuse
Aside from that, the person’s history of alcohol use can also impact his stay in the rehab center. The more intense the alcohol intake is in a prolonged period, the more the duration will take longer.
Also, prolonged alcohol intake could mean that the person might have health problems, such as liver damage, high blood pressure, or digestive issues, to name a few. This specific condition will largely affect the course of rehab, which also includes the actual duration of treatment.
3. Treatment history
The rehabilitation time frame of a person with alcohol use disorder (ADU) is also based on his or her previous treatment attempts.
For example, if you’ve undergone alcohol rehab in the past and still relapsed, you’ll likely need a more comprehensive program. This requires additional days or weeks of stay in the rehab center to ensure that you won’t relapse again.
4. Level of care
We also have to factor in the level of care you need based on the results of our professional diagnostics. While all our inpatient programs require a residential stay, the approach varies per client.
For example, if you’re suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms, our clinical team may need to adjust your treatment and add more days to your stay.
5. Response to treatment
Your alcohol rehab length of treatment is also dependent on how receptive you’ll be to the modalities.
Based on our experience, some clients may require additional time to fully engage in therapy or counseling. On the other hand, some may be a bit reluctant to treatment efforts, which may drag the program duration.
6. Presence of co-occurring disorders
Take note that co-occurring disorders will also affect the duration of your alcohol addiction treatment.
As part of our alcohol rehab in Los Angeles, we conduct a dual diagnosis to determine any mental health disorders or health problems that our clients may have.
More often than not, alcoholism is often rooted in mental health disorders or vice versa. And if not addressed together, these mental health issues will get in the way of your recovery.
So, if we diagnose a client with co-occurring conditions, we will factor in the additional treatments into the entire program duration.
7. Presence of a support system
Having a support system can help speed up your recovery. Aside from our effective modalities, having friends and family as part of your recovery journey will help you transition out of the rehab sooner.
This is why we always encourage family members to participate in our family therapy sessions. This way, we can guide them on how to create a supportive environment and how to restore trust with their loved ones with alcoholism.
8. Type of alcohol rehab
Most importantly, the type of rehab you enroll in will dictate how much time you’ll spend inside the program. In general, those with substance abuse disorders have the following options for treatment:
- Inpatient rehab. This is what we offer here at LA Wellness Home addiction treatment center. With this setting, our clients will have to stay inside our facility throughout the duration of the program. It often lasts for about 30 days, though it might be longer on a case-to-case basis.
- Outpatient rehab. Unlike inpatient rehab, an outpatient program will not require you to stay inside a facility during the treatment. Instead, you’ll attend sessions daily or on a set schedule. This is often more affordable, but some facilities may require that you finish a 30-day medical detox first, especially for severe to chronic addiction.
Short-term vs. long-term alcohol rehab program length
For the most part, alcohol rehab is available for short-term and long-term duration. And while you’re free to enroll and leave anytime you wish (unless it’s a court-ordered rehab), sticking to the right timeframe will ensure your recovery from AUD.
Here’s the difference between short-term and long-term rehab:
Short-term rehab (28 to 30 days)
This is our standard alcohol rehab program for residents with mild to moderate cases of alcohol addiction. After finishing this treatment, we can help them transition to lower levels of care in an outpatient facility
For this program, our focus is medical detoxification, group therapy, counseling, and wellness to help them maintain sobriety.
Long-term rehab (30 days onward)
We can also extend our 30-day program to cater to residents with severe to chronic alcoholism. In some cases, this can be as long as 90 days or even more, depending on the specific condition of each person we help.
During this extended program, we also conduct medical detoxification, psychoeducation, therapy, life skills training, and in-depth treatment of co-occurring conditions.
REMEMBER: Quality over quantity is our focus when it comes to alcohol addiction recovery. This way, we can guarantee the best outcomes for you or your loved one dealing with alcohol use disorder.
What to expect during your stay in an alcohol rehab
Whether it’s short or long, your stay inside an addiction treatment facility will be productive. Here at LA Wellness Home, we implement a structured environment to ensure that our residents will be focused on recovery.
For our alcohol addiction treatment, here’s what you can expect:
- Medical detoxification. All our rehab programs start with a medically assisted treatment (MAT) or medical detox. During this phase, we will provide you with clinical supervision while you flush out the substance from your system. At the same time, we will help you manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
- Therapy and counseling. The next phase of our rehab is psychoeducation, which is a combination of intensive therapy and counseling, among other modalities. We use methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, group therapy, and more to help you develop positive coping mechanisms.
- Wellness and fitness activities. Aside from clinical treatment, we also provide wellness activities such as yoga, exercise drills, and more to keep our residents healthy inside and out.
- Recreational activities. Just because you’re staying inside a treatment facility doesn’t mean you’re going to miss out on fun. We provide Sunday outings, including beach trips, museum visits, movie trips, and more.
- Family therapy. We also care for the families of our residents. This is why we provide family therapy to help them navigate the treatment journey at the same time.
- Aftercare planning. With us, your recovery doesn’t end after finishing an inpatient program. We can also help you transition to outpatient care for further support as you go back to your normal life.
Ready to start your recovery from alcohol addiction?
Whether you’re seeking help for yourself or a loved one, our lines – and doors – are always open. Our recovery advocates at LA Wellness Home are here to help you end the cycle of alcoholism in the safest and most effective way.
We also accept most major insurances to get as much of your treatment covered as possible. If you want to know if we accept your policy, you can request a free insurance verification from us.
And if you’re interested in our alcohol rehab programs or want to know more about our services, call our 24-hour hotline or send us a message today!
