Breaking the Cycle of Relapse: A Guide to Achieving Sustainable Recovery

Getting any kind of treatment seems beneficial when you’re in the throes of addiction. You’ve spent days, weeks, or years of your life consumed by something that seems uncontrollable, and you finally see a path free from it. But given the choice of short or long-term treatment, many people opt for the former simply because it’s cheaper and sounds simpler. There’s a certain hope, even expectation, that it will help you maintain a relatively “normal” life without throwing a wrench into your work schedule. Yet, all too often, people underestimate the magnitude of their addiction and become blinded by the promising opportunity of getting help fast.

“Many addicts, families, insurance companies and even treatment centers treat addiction like an acute illness,” said David Sack, who is board-certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. He calls addition “a chronic disease similar to heart disease and diabetes which requires long-term care.” Even after a 30-day program, people require continued outpatient care and connection to psychiatrists and therapists to ensure that treatment doesn’t simply “end” after their initial stay.

In other words, many people that need extended care end up not getting the treatment they need because of the hope that short-term treatment will act as a quick “cure” to get them through recovery faster. It’s not uncommon to relapse shortly after leaving short-term programs—and while this fall can be used as a learning experience, getting yourself into the right program from the get-go makes for a much more rewarding experience. Not to mention for those struggling with chronic relapse, this kind of care is a necessity.

Addiction is a complex issue, and the path to recovery is no different. The right long-term treatment program can help you address every issue that lies at the heart of your addiction in a way that is constantly adapting and evolving to your unique needs.

Some benefits of long-term, dual diagnosis treatment include:

• Medical detoxification. The first step on the road to recovery is giving yourself time to rid your body of drugs. In some cases (such as benzodiazepine withdrawal) the detoxification process can take months. This already poses a problem for short-term programs, which is why these kinds of addictions typically require an equally long time in treatment for proper recovery.
• More time for rehabilitation. Addiction doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution, meaning long-term treatment isn’t always best. But with such a path, you have much more time to focus on address each root of your addiction and move towards rehabilitation. This is especially necessary for those with complex addictions involving co-occurring mental health disorders, family relationships, and addictions with the potential for protracted withdrawal symptoms.
• Building support networks. By establishing peer support networks, you are facilitating your recovery both within the treatment setting and afterward. With more time to build these relationships, your bonds will strengthen and help you gain more from your recovery. You’ll also have more time to explore professional supports, giving them more freedom to guide you and dig deep into the roots of your addiction.

If you think that you’re in a position where long-term treatment is going to be the best route, you should at least consider it as an option. Keeping yourself open to the available treatment programs will ensure that you get started on the absolute best foot. Moving into the first stage (diagnosis) with an open mind is the best way to ensure you get the help that you need.