The First 30 Days of Rehab

What are the first 30 days of rehab like?

It depends. 

Often when going into rehab, clients need to go to detox. Medical detox is critical for people who are saturated with alcohol or drugs. Especially with alcohol withdrawal, clients can have seizures and even die.

The First 30 Days of Rehab

Up to the first week can be spent detoxing from alcohol or drugs. 

That does not leave much time for treatment if you are there for only 30 days. If you have been using alcohol or drugs for years, like some of our clients, and you expect to be transformed for the rest of your life in 21 days. 

That’s not realistic. As Carl Jung says in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, it takes huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Read more about a psychic change here. 

Scientific evidence even shows that longer-term treatment gives you a better chance of staying sober. 

Why Do Treatment Centers Offer 30 Days?

If a chronic relapser has a problem staying sober, longer treatment is recommended for a better success rate.

But if long-term treatment is needed why even offer 30-day treatment? The answer is because of insurance. In-network, private insurance often only pays enough to cover 30 days of treatment. The rest would be out of pocket. 

The 30-day treatment model was never backed up by medical or scientific evidence. In fact, the very first treatment program for addiction was started for the military. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Men and women didn’t need to be reassigned if they were away from duty for no more than 30 days.” 

Soon, treatment centers followed the military’s model, even though it was not based on scientific or medical evidence. 

What if You Can Only Afford 30-Days of Treatment?

If you cannot afford more than 30 days of treatment, one option is to find a treatment center that focuses on a robust discharge plan. The first 30 days of treatment is really a first step in living a sober life.