Exploring the Benefits of Extended Care in Addiction Recovery

We live in a world where everything is at our fingertips. We can communicate in seconds, have just about anything delivered within hours, and constantly feel pressure to add more and more to our days and schedules.

When it comes to our health, we expect the same: instant answers, quick cures, and the ability to just push harder and work through it. But when it comes to addiction recovery, you can’t rush. There is no single, universal cause or one-size-fits-all solution. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition that is complicated by your life circumstances and any co-occurring mental health issues. You need time to pause and reset, explore contributing factors, address all aspects of your health, and practice healthy new ways of taking care of yourself.

When you take shortcuts or don’t take time for treatment at all, you put your future health at risk. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found that substance use disorders have a relapse rate of 40-60%. This may seem discouraging, but they point out that chronic conditions like asthma and hypertension have even higher rates of relapse and failing to follow a medical treatment plan.

So rather than see defeat before you begin, recognize that a “quick fix” doesn’t exist. Instead, a comprehensive treatment program and long-term management are the keys to lasting recovery success. The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment reveals, “most participants initiate three to four episodes of treatment over multiple years before reaching a stable state of abstinence.” If you choose treatment that isn’t right, that is too short, that doesn’t include continuing care or look at underlying causes, you’re likely to spend more time in treatment over the course of your life, while putting yourself in danger in between each session.

Instead, the Journal explains, “brief interventions may indeed be very appropriate for initiating change or even treatment (re)entry but do not sustain long-term recovery in a chronic population…. Those who get more treatment or treatment sooner are indeed likely to do better. This suggests the need for developing and evaluating approaches that focus more on continuing care and long-term recovery management.” For the greatest success, choose more treatment and better treatment. Take time to explore your addiction and the treatment options that meet you where you are now and where you want to be in the future.

Residential treatment centers like ours at Fellowship Hall offer experienced, compassionate, and extended addiction recovery care because it works. But why and how does it work? What are the specific benefits of longer addiction recovery care? Let’s take a look at the various levels of addiction treatment and how taking your time benefits you at each step.

What Are the Benefits of Starting with Long-Term Residential Treatment?

Your recovery starts with inpatient treatment. This form of addiction treatment is the most in-depth and concentrated option. You will stay at a residential treatment center like ours in North Carolina, and you will receive around-the-clock support. This gets you away from the stressors and triggers of everyday life and gives you a safe place to learn about your addiction and recovery. You will have the freedom to fill your days with various individual and group activities and therapies, and you will begin to identify and address any and all factors underlying your addiction.

Note the use of begin. Residential treatment facilities have a lot of work to do, and not much time. Establishing a base for your recovery is not a quick process. You and your treatment team must get to know each other, develop trust, and explore your past and present stressors and traumas before you can begin treating them and learning healthy coping skills. Your team also needs to work with you to diagnose and treat any co-occurring mental health issues, prescribing medications if needed, and using these and various therapies to stabilize symptoms. This is a process that often involves trial and error to see what works best, and even if first-line treatment is the right treatment for you, all of this takes time. Additionally, most people enter treatment with an active addiction, meaning a portion of your inpatient care time will be spent managing physical and mental withdrawal symptoms and finding stability.

Residential treatment facilities are great places to reestablish this balance while having professional help close at hand 24 hours a day, but it does mean the real work of recovery may not be able to begin immediately. Since typical treatment is 16-30 days, with 30 days being the preferred option, you can see that gives you limited time to identify contributing factors and find out how best to address them, much less start to develop new habits and put into practice better ways of thinking and coping while in a safe, structured environment.

So if you want an even more solid foundation for your future, you can choose an extended treatment program that adds an additional 30 to 60 days of exploring and treating co-occurring and underlying mental health and personal issues. According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, when it comes to physicians, medical directors “promote early detection, assessment, evaluation, and referral to abstinence-oriented (usually) residential treatment for 60 to 90 days.” Physicians who go through treatment have a much higher immediate and long-term success rate than the general population, in part due to “intensive and prolonged residential and outpatient treatment [and] extended support and monitoring.” There are reasons why long inpatient, outpatient, and ongoing support is required for many professionals seeking to keep or regain their licenses: It’s the length of treatment that is most effective and has the most benefits. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a medical professional to take your time in treatment. Anyone can follow their lead by opting for a longer stay now to help ensure better results later.

Why Should I Follow Up with PHP Addiction Treatment?

Once you’ve completed inpatient treatment, it’s understandable that you’ll be eager to get back home. But it’s important to recognize that following up with a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is the best way to make sure all your progress during inpatient care can continue and develop. PHP treatment may involve the following:

• Therapy sessions
• Holistic healing options like yoga and art
• Life skills training
• Coping skills development
• A safe setting to practice resilience and navigate daily life
• Peer support and connection

PHP typically involves all-day programming, five days a week. It provides structure while also allowing you to spend nights and weekends at home or in a sober living facility (depending on your specific program and schedule). You can begin to transition back into home and work life while continuing therapy, personal growth, and healing. A four-week program is usually recommended, but don’t get caught up in numbers. As with all levels of long-term substance abuse treatment, take as long as you need and your treatment team recommends.

Continuing Your Recovery Through Outpatient Addiction Treatment

PHP programs can help you transition to an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a step-down option that usually involves half-day or evening programming. Psychiatric Services says, “IOPs are an important part of the continuum of care for alcohol and drug use disorders,” working around your life, work, and family schedule, so you can return to your daily life and responsibilities while continuing to receive structure and professional and peer support.

Outpatient addiction treatment offers group, family, and individual therapy. It may also involve drug testing or other forms of accountability. Outpatient programs can be in-person or online, and you’ll get the most benefits from choosing one that lasts at least four to eight weeks. This gives you time to fully adjust to daily life and navigate stressors while still having a regular and reliable safety net.

Drug Addiction Treatment and Relapse Prevention

Taking a minute for ourselves feels like a luxury or indulgence. Taking extended time away can feel like an impossibility. But when it comes to your recovery, time equals success. Give yourself time to heal and rebuild your strength, as you would for any illness or injury.

You don’t have to include every one of these steps or choose the most extensive option for each, especially if your time or budget is limited. Some treatment is always better than none.  But you’ll be more likely to achieve and maintain your sobriety if you go all in. According to Social Science & Medicine, “people who received long-term treatment or support had a 23.9% greater chance of abstaining or consuming moderately than did people who received a shorter standard treatment.” Engaging in a comprehensive treatment experience increases your chances of a positive long-term outcome. Choosing longer, better treatment now means losing less of your life to addiction and untreated mental health symptoms. It means you are less likely to relapse and need another in-depth round of care. It means more time to be you, to be with your family, and to fully appreciate and engage with every moment of life.

Rather than stress about how long recovery will take, know that the most important thing is to just get started. Get the ball rolling and reach out to us at Fellowship Hall. We’ll help you begin the process of taking time off and getting treatment, and you can see where and how your timeline develops from there. We offer every level of addiction treatment, so you can stick with us from beginning to end and add time and resources if and as needed. And even once you leave our programs, we help you connect to local resources like ongoing therapy and support group meetings. You never have to be alone in your recovery journey. No matter where you are in life, addiction, and recovery, we are here for you.