The Difference Between Short and Long Term Treatment

The difference between short and long term treatment has to do with the duration of the treatment program. Typically, a short-term program will be one that lasts anywhere from 28 to 30 days. A long-term program, on the other hand, is generally something lasting 90 days or even longer.

Addiction is never something that can be fixed instantly. In order to overcome addiction once and for all, patients need to commit to a treatment plan that can include everything from detox to ongoing behavioral therapy.

Unfortunately, some subpar treatment facilities advertise rapid or quick fixes to patients. While these programs might be appealing to those eager for an instant solution, they can actually do more harm than good. Getting treatment for just a few days isn’t long enough to establish meaningful habits, and it can end up leading to relapse rather than lasting sobriety.

On the other end of the spectrum are long-term residential treatment programs that can be longer than patients need. They can lead to higher costs as well as a greater time away from loved ones and work. In addition, long-term programs may make it harder for patients to adjust to independent living and sobriety without 24/7 accountability.

Understanding Residential Addiction Treatment

In the most basic sense, residential addiction treatment is when patients seek treatment while having accommodation. Patients eat, sleep, socialize, learn and participate in therapy sessions on the premises, reducing the likelihood of relapsing and making it easier to access support or resources around the clock.

Typically, residential treatment begins with an intake assessment. This is a comprehensive evaluation of patients, and it can be an effective way for rehab centers to best cater to individual needs. A treatment intake assessment might evaluate things like physical health, the likelihood of mental health disorders or the potential for multiple addictions. It can also be a time to address any pertinent needs of patients before treatment officially begins.

Another integral element of residential treatment involves evidence-based therapies for addiction. This can include pharmacological treatment as and when it is needed and not contraindicated for patients. It can also heavily feature behavioral therapies that hope to create positive habits and disrupt negative feelings of self doubt and low self esteem. Group counseling is another evidence-based approach to the addiction treatment.

Residential treatment may also offer patients alternative therapies. It is often easier to promote these types of therapies in residential programs because the amenities will be within walking distance of patient accommodation. Alternative therapy can be things like fitness courses, yoga classes or music therapy. It can also extend to things like massage therapy or nutritional therapy in some cases.

The Benefits of Short-Term Residential Treatment

The major advantages of short-term residential treatment include a focused environment, greater accountability, a minimal disruption to everyday life, freedom for families who have been caring for those struggling with addiction and even better results in many cases.

Short-term residential treatment is a 24/7 environment for patients. Compare this to alternatives such as intensive outpatient, outpatient programs or partial hospitalization programs. While they have their place, they allow patients far more freedom, which can also mean a higher risk of relapse. A focused, around-the-clock facility for the initial stages of addiction treatment is often a good thing for patients.

The short-term aspect should also be considered. Rather than expecting prospective patients to take several months away from their families, their careers and their lives, short-term programs ask for just 30 days. This greatly minimizes how much addiction treatment will disrupt life.

Another important aspect to consider is that short-term residential treatment can offer a respite for those families and loved ones who have been heavily involved in the process. When patients are in a safe and secure environment, their loves ones can exhale and focus on their own health. When the short-term program is complete, they will be recharged and ready once again to become a support system for those struggling with addiction.

The Ideal Candidates for Short-Term Residential Addiction Treatment

Everyone dealing with addiction should seek help in the form of professional treatment. In particular, most people can benefit from short-term residential treatment. Many of the ideal candidates are those in treatment for the first time, those dealing with a particularly severe addiction or those struggling with financial, mental health or physical health issues.

Individuals who have completed multiple treatment programs, but relapsed each time, may prefer to find a new means of recovery. However, those picking treatment for the first time can achieve lasting success by committing to a 28 or 30 day residential addiction treatment program.

Addictions can vary significantly among patients. Some might have severe addictions and a lifetime of drug use behind them, while others have only recently developed a dependence on an addictive substance. Those with a severe addiction should never attempt to rehabilitate themselves, making residential treatment the only viable option in these cases.

Finally, it is important to consider health and cost. Residential treatment is comprehensive, encompassing the wide range of patient needs from mental health to physical health. In addition, short-term residential addiction treatment is often covered by major health insurance plans. This is in contrast to long-term programs, which are less likely to be covered by health insurance companies in the United States.

Residential short-term treatment has the potential to deliver lasting results for those struggling with addiction. While the exact methods and therapies available vary from one center to the next, this general program format can be incredibly successful in treating addictions.

Distinguishing Between Short- and Long-Term Treatment

Although there may be a big difference between short- and long-term addiction treatment, it’s important to understand one vital thing: there’s no quick fix when overcoming addiction. Facilities that advertise recovery in a matter of days won’t be providing the best possible care to their patients, and in many cases those patients may be struggling with high relapse rates just weeks after their programs have ended.

Short-term treatment is far from instantaneous. It’s the phrase used to describe rehab and recovery programs that last an average of 28 to 30 days. Long-term treatment, on the other hand, tends to be approximately 90 days, although in some cases it can be six months or even a year in duration.

What to Expect in Residential Treatment

With the duration of short-term treatment defined, it’s a good idea to get a better idea of what a residential treatment program entails. Residential addiction programs are defined as those that provide accommodation as well as treatments and therapies on a regular basis. Residential care can be considered as “one-stop” treatment, because it will include all of the therapy, accommodation, meals and any additional services that might be required.

Patients who are going into residential treatment programs should expect to start with an assessment, or an evaluation, that determines the severity of the addiction and identifies any physical or mental health problems that will need to be addressed. This allows for a dual diagnosis, if necessary, and can ensure that all patients receive comprehensive care that will benefit their overall wellbeing.

There are several types of treatment that might be provided to patients in short-term residential care. Evidence-based treatments such as behavioral therapy, pharmacological treatment and group counseling are popular options that provide a substantial success for patients. However, residential treatment also opens up options for holistic and alternative therapies that can develop skills, improve confidence, relieve stress and contribute to lasting health. Things like nutritional therapy, yoga therapy, art therapy and fitness therapy are all possible in a short-term residential treatment program.

Residential treatment is widely considered to be the most beneficial form of addiction treatment because of its accountability for patients. However, it’s not the only available form of care. Alternatives to residential treatment can include outpatient care, intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs.

Who Can Benefit Most From Short-Term Residential Treatment

Short-term residential treatment is an effective way to treat patients who are addicted to a range of substances, including drugs and alcohol. Virtually anyone with a dangerous addiction should seek professional assistance, and there’s no question that short-term residential treatment would be beneficial. However, there are some potential patients who might benefit most from short-term residential treatment. This would include individuals attending rehab for the first time, those who want to minimize the costs and time commitment of rehab and those who are battling a severe addiction.

Short-term treatment is often preferred by those who don’t have the resources to commit to a 90-day program. Individuals with financial limitations, or those who need to get back to careers, schools and families as quickly as possible, may thrive in a short-term program of 30 days or less.

Individuals who are battling with severe addictions, or who are attending recovery programs for the very first time, are ideal candidates for short-term residential treatment. Why? Because residential care is intensive treatment that is around the clock, which means that patients can enjoy higher rates of successful sobriety and lower rates of relapse. Outpatient programs, in comparison, are not always ideal for those struggling with severe addictions as there is lessened accountability for patients.

Advantages of Short-Term Residential Treatment

Short-term residential treatment brings with it a number of advantages for patients as well as their loved ones. The families of patients won’t have to directly supervise or care for patients while they are in inpatient programs, which can be a relief during this challenging time. Short-term programs are also less expensive and can minimize disruptions to everyday life. In addition, residential programs offer better results to patients.

Cost is nearly always a consideration for prospective rehab patients and their families. Even when health insurance is involved, there may be questions of limited care coverage or deductibles. For these reasons, many patients opt for short-term care. Many health insurance providers will cover a full 30 days of treatment, but won’t cover long-term programs.

Short-term residential care is an intensive program that functions on a 24/7 basis, but this concentration of treatment, therapy and accountability means that many patients can return to their lives in as little as 30 days. Short-term programs are an excellent way to minimize disruptions to life, and these shorter absences are more easily explained. This makes them ideal for patients who have careers, who attend college or who can’t leave their families for extended periods of time.

Finally, it’s vital to look at the objectives when understanding the value of short-term residential programs. For most patients, the primary goal is to achieve sobriety and learn the necessary tools to maintain that sobriety for life. Residential programs outperform outpatient programs routinely, perhaps because they have higher rates of completion, 24/7 care and greater accountability.

Patients can benefit from short-term residential treatment if they want a more intensive treatment method that can still achieve great results. Programs can vary significantly from facility to facility, but most will offer a variety of trusted and effective treatments and therapies to help patients achieve their goals.

Understanding the Role of Gender-Specific Treatment

There are several objectives at play when it comes to rehab and addiction treatment. For men and women alike, the goal goes beyond simply abstaining from drugs and alcohol for a determined period of time. The ultimate objectives include gathering the desire to abstain, the confidence to make independent and healthy choices, the tools to uncover and work through underlying trauma and the support for aftercare and continuing education.

Some of these objectives can’t be easily met in a treatment program filled with individuals of both sexes. Women, for instance, may struggle to reveal instances of sexual assault and personal trauma if there are men in attendance at a group counseling session. Men may wish to recount their stories of hitting rock bottom, but they may not want to offend or alienate women in their treatment programs. By separating the sexes, many patients may find it easier, in the long run, to achieve their rehab goals.

How Gender-Specific Treatment Can Benefit Women

Although there are gender-specific treatment options for both sexes, there’s a far greater emphasis on programs that are designated for women only. Women who are battling an addiction often find it easier to thrive in an environment where their needs, concerns and ideals are the focus. Of course, there’s often a significant overlap between the needs of women and men, and women are a diverse group. Overall, however, women can benefit from gender-specific treatment in a number of ways.

Women in the throes of an addiction may be at risk for feeling intimidated or overpowered by men, particularly men in a position of authority. When in a gender-specific treatment program, women may feel more at ease. When they are at ease, patients can thrive and make true progress for rehabilitation.

Women may also have a greater need to belong to a group environment, to reintegrate into social situations and to become a part of their family or friend groups. An all-women setting may be the best way for women to relearn social cues, establish healthy personalities and discuss conflicts in a healthy and productive way.

It’s also important to take into consideration the issue of sexual assault. Many women who struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol have a history of trauma in their past, and this is frequently sexual in nature. By recovering in a secure, safe environment away from men, women may be able to achieve confidence and sobriety without experiencing PTSD in the presence of male patients.

How Gender-Specific Treatment Can Benefit Men

Men can also benefit in a number of ways to a gender-specific treatment program. The curriculum, counseling and scheduling can focus on the key issues that males encounter during recovery, and it can place an emphasis on healthy masculinity that helps society.

Some men in recovery struggle with reclaiming their masculinity. Since addiction can drain financial and emotional resources as well as lead to lying and broken relationships, men may feel that they don’t possess power or authority. A men-only treatment program can develop the confidence of male patients, encouraging them to feel proud of their accomplishments and strive to be healthy male role models in society.

Sexual Addiction and Rehab

It’s not uncommon for men and women in a drug or alcohol treatment facility to begin exhibiting signs of a sex addiction during rehab. Unfortunately, this is simply replacing one dangerous addiction with another. Destructive, compulsive behavior, such as engaging in a sexual act with a stranger or an inappropriate partner, can stimulate the brain’s reward system in the same way that drugs can.

Recovery from addiction should ideally be recovery from all addictions. To that end, it can be beneficial to separate the sexes so that there are fewer temptations in rehab. In addition, gender-specific programs can eliminate possibilities of unwanted sexual advances or other threatening situations that could challenge or setback recovery for patients.

Facilities Geared Toward a Particular Gender

Amenities are more than just the icing on the cake of an excellent rehab center. They can also be integral in the physical recovery, fitness and development of patients. By creating gender-specific treatment facilities, treatment providers can better tailor the amenities and facilities for a specific group of patients.

In a women’s facility, that could mean space to do yoga in an outdoor setting, or a crafts room where women can tackle projects and feel good about learning new skills and making things for their loved ones. In a men’s facility, that might mean being geared toward group sports or weight lifting, and finding healthy ways to minimize the anger and aggression that can sometimes arise during the initial stages of sobriety. Men and women alike may be more likely to utilize the onsite amenities if they can be assured that the opposite sex won’t be participating, judging or lingering in close proximity.

Determining the Success of Men and Women-Only Rehab

Ultimately, research can only determine the success of gender-responsive treatment based on the remission and relapse rates of participants. Overall, relapse rates are highest when participants aren’t willing to make the necessary changes. By creating a safe environment that caters to the individual needs of patients by gender, there may be an increase in the desire to succeed. As a result, men and women who attend gender-responsive treatment programs may see greater success rates and higher rates of long-term sobriety.

Choosing to attend rehab is definitely better than continuing to abuse drugs or alcohol. For the best results, however, gender-responsive treatment holds a lot of promise for men and women alike.