According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), “Among people aged 12 or older in 2022, 10.5 percent (29.5 million people) had a past year alcohol use disorder.” Yet, many people don’t attend alcohol rehab—leading to mental illness, legal problems, injuries, medical conditions, and even death.
At Tampa Bay Recovery Center we offer outpatient rehab programs that help you quit drinking—for good. Visit our admissions page today to connect with us and learn more about addiction treatment.
How Long is Alcohol Rehab?
How long alcohol rehab lasts depends on the person. Not everyone’s addiction is the same, so their treatment plans won’t look the same either. In addition, each step of alcohol rehab can vary, adding to the total time you’ll be in treatment.
The following are estimates of each step in alcohol addiction treatment:
- Alcohol Detox Programs: 1 to 2 weeks
- Residential Treatment: 30 to 90 days
- Partial Hospitalization: 4 to 6 weeks
- Intensive Outpatient: 4 to 6 weeks
Therefore, you can expect anywhere between about 3 and 6 months for an active alcohol treatment program. This means about 1 to 3 months for inpatient care (detox and residential) with an additional 2 to 3 months for outpatient treatment (partial and intensive).
The following is a breakdown of each step in a long-term rehab program:
Alcohol Detox Programs
Alcohol detox is the first step in alcohol rehab. During alcohol detox, you will experience withdrawal symptoms that start soon after you quit drinking. Since alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous, it’s important to seek professional help to detox safely.
If your symptoms are mild and you have a secure home environment, an outpatient detox program could work for you. However, if you have a long-term addiction or drink heavily, you might want to attend an inpatient detox program.
The acute phase of withdrawal can last anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks. After that, you can move on to residential treatment.
Residential Treatment (Inpatient Rehab)
Residential treatment, or inpatient rehab, is what most people think of when they ask how long alcohol rehab lasts. At a residential treatment center, you live within the same facility where you engage in therapy and rehab. Your daily schedule will include individual counseling, group therapy, peer support groups, psychoeducational courses, life skills development, and recreational activities.
Most residential treatment programs require at least 30 days for the full program. However, most allow you to extend your stay up to 90 days or longer if this is deemed clinically necessary.
Once you finish residential treatment, you can move on to outpatient programming.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is the highest level of outpatient care you will have during outpatient rehab. Also called day treatment, a PHP program lasts 6 to 8 hours each day for 5 to 6 days each week, depending on the facility. You will essentially continue with similar programming as residential treatment, except you don’t live within the treatment center.
It should be noted that many treatment centers offer sober living programs if you are in an outpatient program. That way, you can still benefit from a supportive housing environment while building your skills for a successful long-term recovery.
After PHP, you can step down to the next level of outpatient programming: intensive outpatient.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
During an IOP program, you’ll have shorter sessions than your PHP program—usually about 3 to 4 hours daily. This flexibility allows you to tend to other responsibilities while still getting a high level of care. That way, you can start to transition to everyday life after active addiction treatment and alcohol rehab.
An IOP program gives you a gradual step down from the support and structure of residential treatment and PHP. You can also stay in a sober living program throughout an IOP program if you need additional support.
What Happens After Alcohol Rehab?
After alcohol rehab, you can continue professional treatment if needed. For instance, you can step down to regular outpatient treatment. That way, you can work through other issues that don’t require high levels of support.
Many people continue seeing an outpatient therapist because they’ve uncovered an underlying mental health disorder during rehab. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), about 37.9% of US adults with a substance use disorder (SUD) also have a mental health disorder.
Peer support is also a critical aspect of recovery from alcohol addiction. Many people join a 12-step group or another type of group during active treatment, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or SMART Recovery.
In addition, some treatment centers offer alumni programming with social activities and psychoeducational classes. This helps you build a supportive community and reduces the risk of relapse during long-term recovery.
Find Treatment for Alcohol Addiction Today
Alcohol rehab can last for several months when you consider all steps of treatment and levels of care. It’s important to take the time that you need—replacing unhealthy habits with healthy coping skills takes time. At Tampa Bay Recovery Center, our outpatient treatment programs can help you or a loved one overcome alcohol addiction.
Contact us today to start alcohol addiction treatment.
