If you or a loved one have tried to initiate recovery by going to treatment but wound up relapsing, you are not alone. Unfortunately, it can be a familiar and devastating cycle. There are many factors that contribute to relapse, and long-term recovery centers seek to address these issues.
Treatment Programs Are Too Short
Standard treatment programs tend to be anywhere from 14 to 28 days in length, which is sometimes long enough to get stabilized, but rarely long enough to address the root issues of addiction.
At present, most medical systems treat addiction as though it were an acute medical crisis, such as a broken bone. With a fracture, the patient would visit an urgent care center or emergency room, have the bone reset or possibly undergo surgery, be provided a cast, and then be discharged to recover at home.
Addiction is treated similarly. Patients go to a medical facility, often in crisis, having reached a breaking point or having been transported there due to overdose. Their treatment program is typically prescribed by their insurance coverage, or, worse, their lack of it. This puts the most vulnerable individuals at a disadvantage, and many do not receive any kind of intensive treatment.
Those who do receive in-patient treatment spend a couple weeks recovering from the immediate physical effects of substance withdrawal and are then sent back to the same external and internal environment where their addiction flourished. Because of this, relapse is a common occurrence after treatment. While a period of medical detoxification and stabilization is very important, it doesn’t go far enough to give people all the resources they need to sustain lifelong recovery and thrive.
A Chronic Condition Needing Extended Care
Long-term sobriety and length of treatment are linked. The longer an individual can stay in a quality program, the better their chances are of maintaining extended recovery and wellness. Addiction is a chronic condition with mental, physical, and spiritual components that are best addressed in a stable and caring environment. Spending a year in long-term recovery centers like Lightway Addiction Recovery Wellness Center provides necessary time to heal and grow in each of these areas while establishing healthy beliefs that drive healthy behaviors.
The New Model for Long-Term Addiction Recovery
Watch this video from our friends at No Longer Bound, which provides a compelling summary of what is missing from the standard addiction treatment model. Organizations in Georgia like NLB and Lightway Recovery are partners in a new recovery movement to provide comprehensive care for addiction that goes beyond the status quo.
If you’re interested in exploring your options for long-term recovery centers, contact us! We’d love to support you on your recovery journey.