The Benefits Of 90-Day Addiction Rehab Programs

30 days is the standard length of stay for most inpatient rehab treatment centers, and for many, it is also the minimum. Most rehab centers also offer 60 and 90-day programs, but the 30-day stay is often presented as the default, as well as the length of stay most health insurance programs agree to cover, which contributes to its popularity. . Just because 30-day programs are the most popular doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the best or most effective program. Just how valuable are longer 90-day programs, and why might people choose a 90-day stay over a 30 or 60-day stay?

On the surface, a 30-day rehab stay may seem like the obvious choice; the shorter stay is obviously going to be less expensive than a longer one, even before factoring in whether insurance will agree to pay for a longer, 90-day stay. Beyond the cost, 30 days is already quite a long time to take away from regular, daily life and 90 days would naturally be much more disruptive to most people. So there are some obvious downsides to a longer length of stay, but these negatives are also all external to addiction, which is really the sole reason somebody would be looking at rehab programs in the first place. 

This brings us to the crux of the matter, and why somebody would choose a 90-day rehab program: 90-day programs are more effective at successfully treating addiction than shorter programs. A study published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that in the year after treatment, the relapse rate for those who attended a 30-day program was 35%, while those who attended a 90-day rehab program had a relapse rate of only 17% in the year following treatment. This is why a minimum of 90-days is the length of treatment recommended by NIDA. 

“Generally, for residential or outpatient treatment, participation for less than 90 days is of limited effectiveness, and treatment lasting significantly longer is recommended for maintaining positive outcomes.”  

So while a 90-day stay will have a higher upfront cost, both in terms of money and time, it can save much more in the long run because it is more effective at treating addiction. Yes, long stays in in-patient rehab programs can be disruptive to people’s lives, professions, and relationships, but is that not also true of addiction itself? And beyond how inherently disruptive of people’s lives addiction can be, if somebody relapses and begins to regularly use substances again after staying in rehab for too short a time, they might end up having to go through rehab again anyways, and will have effectively saved nothing. 

Sunshine Behavioral Health offers a variety of in-patient rehab programs with 30, 60, and 90-day treatment programs available at five locations in California, Texas, Colorado, and Illinois. With a dedicated and expert staff, we make it our mission to provide the highest quality substance abuse treatment and to deliver it with passion, integrity, and company spirit. To learn more about our treatment programs and how we can help you or your loved ones, visit us at sunshinebehavioralhealth.com today. 

Sources:

https://nida.nih.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/frequently-asked-questions/how-long-does-drug-addiction-treatment-usually-last