What is Long-Term Drug Rehab?

Long-term drug rehabilitation involves individuals spending a substantial amount of time on their drug addiction treatment program, usually in a residential treatment facility.  Long-term residential treatment provides 24-hour care, 7 days a week, and is generally conducted in a non-hospital setting.  There are several forms of long-term drug rehab: the Therapeutic Community (TC) and other models such as cognitive-behavior therapy.

Long-term addiction treatment programs typically lasts 3-12 months and focuses on re-socializing the individual into the community.  Treatment focuses on personal accountability and utilizes the program’s “community” (staff, other residents) as part of the treatment model.  Taking personal responsibility is also a goal of long-term drug rehab while the patient learns to live in a drug-free society. 

Long-term drug rehabilitation is considered to be the most successful drug rehab method currently available.  Individuals who participate in long-term drug rehabilitation are typically those with serious health/medical related issues as a result of their drug use and/or they have attended other types of drug rehabilitation with little to no success.

The typical long-term drug rehabilitation will consist of the following components:

Detoxification/Withdrawal.  When the individual enters long-term drug rehabilitation, they will need to rid their bodies of the toxins that have thus invaded their body prior to focusing on their actual recovery.  Detoxification can be done in a number of different therapeutic ways including sauna detoxification, medical detoxification (with drug assistance) and fasting.

Education.  Once the individual has rid their body of the toxic substance, they can focus on the effects of the drug.  The patient can learn better ways to care for themselves and their bodies through nutrition education and exercise. 

Individual counseling/Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.  Individual addiction counseling and cognitive-behavior therapy are key components to the patient’s recovery.  Through counseling, the individual will explore the issues surrounding their need for the drug and how/why they became addicted.  With cognitive-behavior therapy, the individual will learn new techniques for coping and will practice methods and models needed to learn to cope in a society without using the drug. 

Group counseling.  Group counseling is also a very valuable tool in the recovery process.  Through group counseling, the addict can learn to share with other addicts in a healthy, supportive, sometimes confrontational, group setting.  It allows the addict to view thier drug addiction through another person’s eyes and feel like they are a part of a team working towards their own individual recoveries.

After-care support.  After-care support can involve a number of different methods.   Some after-care models offer a transitional housing option whereby long-term drug rehabilitation clients can move into a supportive, drug-free environment while working on issues such as finding gainful employment or seeking a new place to live.  Transitional housing typically offers a variety of group meetings and requires that household members participate in these required meetings as well as provide some community service functions.  Other after-care support may include mandatory group meetings or counseling sessions.

To determine whether you or a loved one would benefit from this type of drug rehabilitation treatment, consult with your personal physician and/or a drug treatment specialist.

Long-Term Drug Rehab Treatment