How Long Does Meth Addiction Treatment Take? Is 28 Days of Addicted to Meth Treatment Enough?

Most people expect for their meth addiction treatment to take 20 days, maybe 30. However, it can feel contrary to common sense that a person could truly recover from an addiction as crippling as a meth addiction in only four weeks. This leaves most people wondering if that amount of time is enough. This begs the question “How much addicted to meth treatment is enough?” Is there a perfect amount of time that every addict should remain in rehab?

Why is 28 Day Treatment the Standard?

The first official drug treatment programs were predominantly operated by the military. The Navy ran drug addiction treatment that could only last for 28 days because a member of the service who missed over 28 days would be reassigned. Therefore, in order to keep people in their assigned positions, addicted to meth treatment and other substance abuse care could last no more than this period of time.

When insurance companies began offering policies that covered meth addiction treatment, they used this length of time as a blueprint. They would only cover up to 28 days of rehab. Now, it has become the typical duration that people expect.

Is 28 Days Long Enough?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, good outcomes depend upon proper treatment duration. For both inpatient and outpatient treatment, studies have shown, less than 90 days of meth addiction treatment is of restricted effectiveness. Most experts endorse treatment that lasts even longer than that.

If I Can Only Go for 28 Days, Should I Even Bother?

Yes. Though a 28-day addicted to meth treatment program may not be ideal, it is considerably better than nothing. It is possible that 28 days can get the process started and that additional treatment could be added on in the future. Or the process can be continued via therapy and support group meetings.

Medication Is Rarely Used in Meth Addiction Treatment; Why You Can’t Expect to Solve Your Problem with the Help of a Pill

Medical science consistently makes incredible treatment breakthroughs, allowing previously unstoppable diseases to be cured with medication or to be vaccinated against. This sets up the expectation that the things which ail us can be easily remedied. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case and there are many diseases that can only be treated. They cannot be cured. Meth addiction is one of those diseases.

But, you may be asking why addictions such as alcohol and opiates use medications as part of their treatment. For these addictions, medication is a valuable part of treatment. But, meth, as yet, does not have a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat its withdrawal symptoms or curb cravings. Meth addiction treatment has no medication to turn to.

Why Can’t Meth Addiction Be Cured?

The reality is that there is no addiction that can be cured. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” Because it is chronic, it will last for an extensive period of time, often an entire lifetime. Plus, a person with an addiction will never fully lose their compulsive desire to use drugs. This is what leads to so many of the episodes of relapse.

Why Isn’t There a Medication to Treat Meth Addiction?

Meth addiction, though crippling, doesn’t come with a great deal of withdrawal symptoms, unlike opiates and alcohol. Therefore, health professionals in meth addiction treatment do not treat the symptoms of meth withdrawal as aggressively as they would those of other substances. As a result, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration notes, no medications have been developed to help with this situation. Further, as meth use doesn’t continue to produce dangerous side effects after one stops using, as opiates do, there hasn’t been a push for researchers to dedicate time to developing a medication. So, none are used in addicted to meth treatment.

Is Treatment Effective?

Yes, even without the use of medication, addicted to meth treatment offers people the best possible recovery outcomes. It is definitely worth pursuing.

Addicted to Meth Treatment Made Me Feel Pride Again; The Emotional Benefits of Meth Addiction Treatment

Pride has both positive and negative interpretations. Some people think of it as a feeling of satisfaction in an achievement. Others associate it with an inflated sense of a person’s own superiority. In some instances, it is a sin; in others, it is a virtue. Many addicts lose their sense of self as they progress through abuse into addiction. Without a sense of self, they no longer take and pride in their accomplishments. They feel only shame.

I was one of those people. My meth addiction left me feeling worthless and I hid from friends and family because I no longer felt worth loving. While I was in addicted to meth treatment, I learned to acknowledge my self-worth and to feel pride as I met milestones in my recovery.

Pride Has Its Advantages

I don’t know that I would have made it through my recovery and through meth addiction treatment if I hadn’t developed a sense of pride. Because of it, I experienced the following benefits while in addicted to meth treatment.

• It made me work hard.
• It made me look for challenges, so I could get a sense of accomplishment after I achieved my goals.
• It made me feel rewarded when I did well in meth addiction treatment.
• It let me take pleasure in the accomplishments of my peers.
• It made me feel like I was a member of a team when my rehab peers and I all made achievements.

Pride Has Its Dangers

I had to be careful to temper my pride with humility because there are some risks associated with an unnaturally inflated sense of self-worth. I worried it may cause the following.

• It would make it hard for me to make friends.
• It would make me ignore my mistakes and stall my recovery or lead to a relapse.
• It would make me lose touch with reality.
• It would prevent me from gaining new knowledge.
• It would prevent me from asking for help in meth addiction treatment.

You Must Achieve a Balance

To benefit from my newfound pride and to avoid the pitfalls associated with it, I had to develop humility. I kept a beginner’s frame of mind and that made me want to learn things. I also made an effort not to take myself so seriously.