Importance of Appropriate Level of Care in Addiction Treatment

Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Programs & Treatment Centers

Offer a wide range to programs to help individuals overcome their addictions. Each has its strengths and drawbacks and should be carefully researched before making a final decision and committing to a program.

Making an uninformed selection will result in failed attempts at recovery and almost assuredly a relapse into destructive behaviors.

Short-Term Care

Short-term programs are those that are sixty days or less in length. While they have limited success, they do have their advantages – the period is easier to manage since it is easier try a thirty-day program than longer ones, and a good short-term care program can be extended further if a patient is not ready for release. This second point makes it easier for reticent individuals to come to terms with their addiction and make the appropriate adjustment to a longer program. As a closed-cycle concept, though, short-term care has limited success.

Long-Term Care

Rehabilitation programs are categorized as “long-term” if they are designed to run longer than ninety days. Depending on the recovery rate of the patient, these programs can extend to a year or longer.

Individuals are best served in long-term programs if they are having problems that cannot be resolved in programs of a shorter tenure. For example, additional time may be needed to address all concurrent issues, the patient’s drug or drinking patterns have not abated, or the patient has relapsed and the old patterns of abuse have resurfaced. The duration of a long-term program is tailored to the needs of the individual.

Long-term drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs have the highest success rates when it comes to ending the cycle of destructive behavior manifested through substance abuse. Top facilities design treatment programs tailored to each patient, involve the community of the entire staff, have an indeterminate length of stay to reduce the danger of relapsing, and offer powerful aftercare programs for patients and their families.

Outpatient Care

Outpatient treatment is highly effective in rehabilitation and recovery because it helps patients re-integrate into society by provides a continuing support program. Outpatient care includes support groups, mental health maintenance, behavioral counseling, job search assistance, and continuing education on drugs and their effects. Outpatient programs are flexible, able to adapt to changing circumstances, and capable of modification if a program’s effectiveness falters.