Is a 30 Day Drug Rehab Long Enough to Learn the Skills I Need?

Mired in an agonizing cycle of drug addiction and alcohol can be overwhelming. The alcoholic or drug addict can seem as if they’re lost in a sea of despair. Yet, it takes only one simple decision to turn everything around. That is the decision to ask for help.

An important part of helping an addict and alcoholic to begin a new road of recovery is treatment. However, there are different types and lengths of treatment programs. Which is right for you? There is a considerable consensus advocating the benefits of inpatient drug rehabs.

But, the length of residential treatment programs can stretch anywhere from the traditional 28-day approach to many months, even a year. A number of facilities offer a 30-day option. So, could a 30-day rehab be long enough for you to learn the recovery skills you need? Let’s talk about it.

Establish a Foundation

One key question that you must answer with the utmost honesty is how long and how intense has your drinking or drug use been. If this is a problem of many years, you may be advised to consider options longer than 30-days.

The reason being, it can take many days up to a few weeks just for your head to clear enough to begin accepting and understanding the skills necessary to maintain consistent clean-time. A foundation for recovery doesn’t happen overnight for the mildest cases.

If it is your first time in treatment, and your drug or alcohol problem is professionally diagnosed as moderate, you can begin to establish a foundation for successful recovery in a 30-day drug rehab treatment program. Let’s look at what this requires to be successful.

Develop Your Knowledge and Understanding

All alcohol and drug rehab programs are going to provide you with knowledge and understanding of your addiction. If you apply yourself intently, you can acquire a wealth of skills in 30-days. The test will be to apply them against the tests of the actual world.

Invariably, most addictions are but a symptom of other issues. Many of these are mild to serious mental health problems that must be addressed. Learning what drives you to abuse drugs or drink obsessively is a key point to understand.

Once you develop the skill to work on the symptom that triggers your addiction, you begin to move farther away from needing drugs or alcohol as a crutch. Many of these same issues create triggers.

While there are other triggers such as friends and old environments, a drug rehab will help you understand what these are and how you can deal with them successfully without picking up a drink or a drug.

Each day in any drug or alcohol treatment program is treated as just that; a brand-new day. One vital skill is to understand that your recovery is a daily program. If you can grasp that critical skill early, you will have a powerful tool to stay clean and sober.

Once you’ve taken the first step to seek treatment, you have an appreciation of another extremely important skill. You will need to practice this open willingness to reach out when you’re in trouble.

Treatment will help establish an initial network of friends and counselors. You will need to build this network of support after you complete any drug or alcohol rehab program. The final skill that blends each of the previous is to stay connected.

If you remain connected to your recovery, it dramatically reduces your chances of a trigger sending you off into a dangerous relapse. Treatment will provide you with the skills and knowledge of where and how to stay connected to the recovery community.

The goal of any treatment program, regardless of the length, is going to be to help you develop your knowledge and understanding. If you’re successfully able to fulfill this essential need in 30-days, that’s all the better. However, recovery is a lifelong journey.

Rare are the cases of people who can stay clean and sober without some type of aftercare treatment. This is especially true for those who complete short inpatient drug rehab programs or brief outpatient therapy. Let’s talk about drug rehab aftercare.

The Importance of Treatment Aftercare

Part of staying connected to your recovery will be any treatment aftercare programs you undertake. One prevalent suggestion is to become part of a recovery fellowship immediately. There are many, and they offer a powerful support network.

If you’ve successfully completed a 30-day inpatient drug rehab program, most likely a follow-up outpatient program will be recommended. The extra time spent in any part of treatment aftercare isn’t meant to be punitive.

The evidence supporting those who stay connected stay clean and sober supports the notion. There are a number of other engaging slogans that insist that those in recovery who stay recovered are those who work their recovery program daily.

To determine whether a 30-day drug rehab is right for you, sit down with a professional addiction specialist to discuss your circumstances. You must be rigorously honest for the right choice to be determined.

Never tried treatment, but you feel you have a problem with drugs or alcohol? If you have yet to make an attempt to get help, make that call today. As harsh as it may seem, tomorrow could be too late.

A knowledgeable addiction counselor can help you decide what treatment program is best for you. Whether it’s inpatient treatment at a drug rehab facility, or an outpatient program, follow the suggestions above to begin your wonderful journey in recovery. Call us at 833-610-1174.