Residential Treatment Defined
Residential treatment is a type of substance abuse treatment program where the patient lives in a rehabilitation facility twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week while receiving alcohol or drug abuse treatment and, if necessary, mental health treatment as well. Other forms of treatment such as sober living facilities and halfway houses are not considered residential treatment, because of the differences in treatment types or living hours that these facilities offer. Residential treatment facilities are less intensive than inpatient facilities such as hospitals due to the longer period of time in which a patient stays at a residential treatment facility.
Benefits of Using Residential Treatment
Residential treatment centers employ a large staff of licensed and qualified doctors who frequently interact with patients on a one-on-one basis, as well as in various group settings, allowing them to design a treatment plan tailored to each patient’s specific needs and situation. Because patients stay in the treatment facility all day and week long, the centers provide food and room and board as well as a variety of recreational areas such as exercise rooms or tennis courts.
Therapies and Techniques Used in Residential Treatment
The types of therapies and techniques used in residential treatment centers can vary greatly from one place to the next; however, there are common ideas that run through any facility’s programs. The programs generally provide both individual- and group-based care, from one-on-one meetings with rehab doctors to group lectures concerning relapse prevention and other topics. Other “extracurricular” activities are often provided as well, which may range from light sports to yoga therapy and even to horse riding or hiking.
Where to Find a Residential Treatment Center
It is possible to find a residential treatment center located near almost any major city in the United States simply by searching on the internet. Most treatment facilities are located near, but not in, large cities, as many find that a country setting is a more relaxing and calming location than directly in the heart of a city. Depending on the state in which it is located, a facility may even be at the base of a mountain or along a river.
Which is Right for Me? Long-term vs. Short-term Inpatient Treatment
Most drug and alcohol treatment facilities offer their patients a choice between long-term and short-term inpatient treatment. Short-term treatment is generally about four to six weeks in length, while long-term treatment runs for at least ninety days and in some cases, longer.
What is Long-term Rehabilitation?
Long-term drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs are those addiction recovery programs that run ninety days or longer. The extended length is directly related to the nature of the addiction and how well the patient is responding to treatment. The patient may have an addiction to drugs that have long and painful withdrawal times, or they may have been diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder that needs to be addressed as well in order for recovery to be effective.
Many long-term rehab programs began as short-term programs, but how the patient responded to treatment necessitated extending the treatment to the longer. Also, some patients were in short-term rehabilitation, but after discharge relapsed into the old behaviors to such an extent that long-treatment became necessary.
I Relapsed but I Think All in Need Is a Tune-up
If a relapse occurred, something went wrong somewhere. Either the initial program was not effective, or the outpatient program instituted did not work. In either case, it is best to return to the facility from which you were discharged for a new assessment and recommendations. It may be that short-term treatment is all that is needed. However, there may be other issues in play. Because of that, the facility you are in should be flexible in adjusting the length of time needed to complete successfully the program. In addition, the post-discharge recovery support may need to be reassessed and redesigned.
My First Time Getting Help
If it is your first time getting help, it is best to seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. In doing this, you are assured of a competent assessment of the nature of your addiction and what type of program will best meet your needs. As an added protection, seek advice from two or more sources to get a complete picture of your addiction and to get their recommendations as to what type of therapy will have the greatest chance of success.