4. How long does rehab take?

Posted by Tony Bylsma on January 23, 2010 under FAQs for Detox Rehab | Be the First to Comment

Every time I see an answer to this question, I have to laugh.

Usually the answer is something like, “Our centers take 28 days!” or, Nobody knows for sure how long this takes, but at our rehab facility…blah blah

The obvious truth is that rehabilitation from addiction to drugs will require different periods of time for different people and circumstances. Some of the most important factors are:

• What type of drug was used?
• How long was the period of abuse and what quantities were used?
• How committed to stopping and recovering is the individual?
• What were the problems that the drug solved for the user?
• What methods of rehab were employed?

Those who subscribe to the disease theory of addiction believe that full rehab isn’t possible.

The best possible answer is the most obvious. As soon as a former addict can function well in society, without drugs or alcohol, and without a constant struggle to abstain from using the substance(s), they can be considered rehabilitated. That can happen as quickly as a few months or it can take a lifetime.