What is a Residential Rehab?

Addiction treatment begins as soon as you admit that you have a problem. However, with so many treatment facilities available, it can be extremely overwhelming to know which choice is best for you. Your first step should be to meet with a substance abuse counselor. They can help you better understand your addiction and how to work towards recovery. For many people, residential rehab programs are the perfect option because it gives them the around the clock care, as well as the support they need to build a healthier life. 

How Long Do You Stay at a Residential Rehab? 

At a residential rehab, patients live on-site at a residential treatment center. Nowadays, clinicians avoid assigning exact lengths of time for care. Instead, working alongside an interdisciplinary team consisting of substance abuse counselors, mental health professionals, social workers, and nurses, they create a tailored individual plan. This plan is regularly updated based upon your treatment progress. 

In general, residential programs fall into two categories: 

Short Term:

12 weeks or shorter. These programs can be intensive and include physical and mental health recovery. Other options may be milder and focus primarily on addiction. 

Long Term:

6 months or longer. Often called therapeutic communities, these long term facilities may include personal rooms or apartments that make staying away from home for extended periods of time easier. 

Your case manager and recovery team will decide the best type of care for you. Although, it’s important to note: people who stay in treatment longer have higher success rates of avoiding relapse and staying sober. 

Who’s an Ideal Candidate for Residential Rehab? 

Residential and inpatient programs are ideal for people who have just begun recovery and have never attended treatment before. In these circumstances, a person agrees to live on-site and pause their education, professional, and social obligations to focus solely on sober living and recovery. Residential care is holistic and includes all aspects of care including: 

Medical Detox

Cognitive Screenings

Inpatient Treatment

Counseling

Group Therapy

It’s also essential to note that residential rehabilitation facilities aren’t meant solely for those with full-blown alcohol or drug addictions. There is no black and white when it comes to drug or alcohol abuse. Residential rehab can be particularly helpful for people who are showing signs of moderate abuse, especially as a preventative tool for addiction and the many terrible side effects that come with it. 

Contact us today to take your first step towards recovery.

How Does Residential Rehab Work? 

Addiction changes people. Addicts can grow increasingly focused on getting high on drugs or consuming more alcohol while losing interest in their former life, including in their careers and personal relationships. If someone continues to stay in this type of environment, their substance abuse generally worsens over time. 

For those seeking addiction treatment, residential rehab facilities work to target these challenges by: 

  • Removing people from environmental and social triggers
  • Creating a safe, supportive place to live 
  • Providing mental health counseling 
  • Offering 24/7 access to medical support 
  • Forming a new community and support network

Residential drug and alcohol rehabs feature other essential tools for success such as incorporating healthy, substance-free activities into your life and developing coping mechanisms to manage substance abuse and other issues. They offer multiple levels of care for both the addict and their family. This can include individual counseling, peer groups, and family sessions to identify and work through underlying emotional and behavioral causes of substance abuse. 

Inpatient vs Residential Rehab

You’ll often see the terms “inpatient” and “residential” used interchangeably. Although there is some overlap in these treatment strategies, they are not exactly the same. The core difference involves the duration and intensity of these programs. Inpatient care is usually reserved for patients with the most serious drug or alcohol addiction symptoms in acute care or substance abuse centers. Generally, these programs last several days or several weeks.

On the other hand, residential rehab is a home-like environment in a therapeutic community. The goal is to provide continuing treatment that dives deep into your problems in order to create lasting sobriety. Residential rehab facilities can also focus on co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. These programs simultaneously address substance abuse and its underlying mental health causes. 

Different Types of Treatment 

Residential rehab facilities don’t use a one size fits all approach. Instead, each person receives a customized care plan unique to their needs. There are many types of treatment options available depending on the patient. For example, patients suffering from mental illness and substance addiction often undergo dual diagnosis treatment that effectively targets both of these major health issues. 

After a patient goes through the initial screening and medical detox process, an interdisciplinary team of nurses, doctors, social workers and more, will help them through the stages of recovery. This may include individual and group sessions, cognitive-behavioral therapy, the 12-steps, and educational lectures. Outside of direct medical care, facilities often offer a range of activities that promote healthy lifestyles. In these residential environments, people are able to recognize and avoid their triggers, as well as develop healthy outlets for their energy. 

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

In many cases, addiction is fueled by mental illness. This creates a cycle of abuse where people often self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, which only worsens the problem and leads to substance dependence. 

Dual diagnosis programs help people not only achieve sobriety but also tackle their underlying mental health issues. This includes conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. For people with a mental health disorder as well as an addiction, this two-sided treatment is the best way for them to achieve not only long-lasting sobriety but also overall health and wellbeing. 

Is Residential Rehab Right for Me? 

At the end of the day, your health is the most important thing and residential rehab facilities are the best place to start fresh and work towards recovery. Overall, the residential environment provides the perfect balance between the intensity of inpatient care and the freedom of outpatient treatment. Residential treatment programs are ideal for people who need to get out of triggering environments and into supportive places that encourage sobriety. 

Beyond counseling sessions, rehab centers offer a wide array of therapeutic services and healthy activities including yoga, meditation, and more. So if you are looking for balanced care that works towards lasting recovery, then reach out to a clinician to see if residential rehab is a good option for you. 

Reach Out For Help Today

We welcome you to The Blackberry Center. From support groups to individual therapy treatment options, we are here to fight the addiction battle with you.

Reach out to us online today. You can also call us at (813) 908-4199.

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