What To Expect In A Short-Term Rehab

There are different types of drug rehab programs - and they all serve different purposes. Some of them, such as inpatient addiction treatment, are necessary for the management of a severe substance use disorder or one that is accompanied by other co-occurring mental health and medical disorders. Outpatient addition treatment, on the other hand, is ideal for less severe addictions that are not accompanied by co-occurring disorders.

Both of these forms of addiction treatment are offered on a long and on a short term basis. In this guide, you will learn about short-term drug rehab, what it is, what it involves, and what you should expect in such a program. Read on to find out more:

Understanding Short-Term Drug Rehab

A short-term drug rehab program, which often lasts anywhere between 28 and 30 days, is often the right choice for most people who are looking to overcome a substance use disorder. In such a program, you will go through initial evaluation and intake, receive medically managed detoxification services, go for group and individual therapy and counselling sessions, as well as plan for your life after the treatment program.

Most of these short term treatment programs are effective because they can help you overcome your initial reluctant to receive help for a growing substance abuse and addiction problem.

Further, they can also provide you with a safely supervised and managed detoxification program that helps you overcome your withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings before you seek further treatment.

During short-term drug rehab, you may also get enough time that you can use to reflect on your past as well as start making more solid and healthier plans for your future - ones that no longer involve the use of intoxicating and mind altering substances.

However, you also need to realize that a 30 day or 28-day addiction treatment program might not always be enough to help you completely overcome your substance abuse and addiction. This is particularly true if you have ever experienced a drug or alcohol relapse in the future.

To this end, you need to ensure that you may be able to benefit - albeit a little - from such a treatment program. You should also find out as much as you can about the short-term drug rehab so that you can tell if it might be the right for you.

For instance, it is recommended that you do your research so that you know about the modalities of treatment, the cost of recovery, the expertise and experience of the members of staff, as well as the past success rates that the rehab program has enjoyed.

That said, most short-term drug treatment programs can provide you with a wide variety of resources that you prove useful in guiding you along the road to full recovery until you are able to overcome your substance abuse and addiction as well as restart your life afresh.

However, choosing a short term recovery program might turn out to be more intimidating and confusing than you might have anticipated. This is why it is recommended that you find a center that will provide you with enough services to ensure that you have completely detoxed from all the addictive drugs and alcohol that you were abusing.

In terms of payment, short term treatment might be ideal because they often cost less and most of these programs are covered by many health insurance companies - much more so than extended care drug and alcohol rehab programs. To this end, you can use them as an essential stepping stop that eventually leads you to a lifestyle that is completely devoid of all drugs and alcohol.

Who Needs Short Term Drug Rehab?

There are many different types of people who may be able to benefit from a short-term drug rehab program. For instance, if you have been abusing intoxicating substances but are not yet sure whether you are going to need addiction treatment to complete stop taking these substances, you may be able to gain a lot from this type of program.

In the same way, you might be reluctant to seek long term addiction treatment or to commit a lot of your time to a recovery program. In such a situation, you may be able to benefit from a stay at a short-term drug rehab.

This is because your time in such a program could help you realize just how serious your substance abuse and addiction problems have become. It could also prove useful in ensuring that you are finally able to overcome your reluctance to seek further treatment. the advantage is that you will be able to enjoy all these benefits without committing to long term addiction recovery services.

In a short term rehab center, you will also get the opportunity to think about your future and how you are going to free yourself of the unbearable hold of drugs and alcohol. further, you will be able to clear your body and mind of all the toxic substances that you used to abuse, as well as overcome your ongoing cravings for these substances and their resultant behaviors.

Most short term recovery programs are carefully designed so that they also include a medically supervised detoxification process. Through this process, you can reduce or completely remove physical dependence on drugs and alcohol. you will also learn how to make more informed and better decisions about life after the rehab program.

Once you complete the short-term drug rehab program, you will also receive a final evaluation. This assessment could provide you with new information that you might not have been able to think about. As a result of this information, you may finally be in a position where you can make an informed decision about whether you need to extend your stay in the program or seek additional treatment services elsewhere or in another mode of recovery, such as outpatient rehabilitation.

Expectations from Short-Term Drug Rehabilitation Programs

There are some standard services that are provided through different addiction treatment programs, where you are enrolled in a short or a long term recovery program. To this end, a short term rehab program, like any other recovery programs, will take you through the following processes:

1. Intake Assessment

During this period, the addiction treatment professionals at the short term treatment center will obtain a highly detailed medical history, perform physical examinations, and get information about your history of drug and alcohol use and abuse.

They will also assess your unique mental health and physical needs before developing a highly customized addiction treatment and recovery plan that will address all the issues that you have been struggling with.

2. Medical Detoxification

Immediately following your assessment, you will receive medical detox services to help you overcome your physical dependence, as well as manage any drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms that you may be struggling with. In some instances, the short-term drug rehab program may offer you maintenance or replacement medications to help speed up this process.

3. Therapy and Counseling

When you have successfully completed the detox stage, the short-term rehab center will offer you a wide variety of therapy and counseling services, both on an individual basis as well as in group settings.

The goal of these services is to reduce your risk of relapse, as well as enable you understand why you used to abuse drugs and drink alcohol and continue doing so in the long term.

You will also be taught other skills that will help you to cope with life once you have checked out of the short term treatment program. In individual therapy sessions, for instance, the focus will be on your needs and preferences, as well as hopes and plans for the future.

Group therapy sessions, on the other hand, will provide you with an unique opportunity to interact with people who are struggling with related and similar issues involving drugs and alcohol.

Some addiction treatment centers may also provide you with holistic recovery services even though you are enrolled in a short-term drug rehab program. Examples of these services include massage therapy, yoga, acupuncture, art therapy, animal therapy, Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, meditation, and exercise therapy, among many others.

4. Aftercare Planning and Programming

Both during and towards the end of your short-term rehab, the center will start preparing you for life after treatment. they will find out your needs and goals, and use them to encourage you to continue seeking further rehabilitation services upon checking out of the short term center.

They could also refer you to other ongoing support services that could reduce your risk of relapse. These include 12 step and non-12 step support group meetings like AA and NA, sober living facilities, ongoing therapy and counseling, as well as checking into a long term addiction treatment center.

Getting Help

Although short-term drug rehab is not always enough to help most people overcome their substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and mental health disorders, it is a good place to start on the road to a longer term recovery program that eventually leads to full sobriety and abstinence from drugs and alcohol.