Residential Addiction Treatment

Residential addiction treatment is a method of rehabilitation treatment for addiction.

With residential addiction treatment you, as someone living with addiction, will stay in a professional facility to receive support through your addiction rehabilitation process.

Also known as inpatient treatment, residential addiction treatment is one of the alternatives to outpatient treatments and quasi-residential treatments.

Residential addiction treatments are regarded as the most effective method of addiction treatment, as you will be supported 24/7 by trained professionals, and will be away from any factors that contribute to your addiction.

What Does Residential Addiction Treatment Involve?

Depending on the form of your addiction, a residential stay will often comprise of a clinical detoxification phase and a therapeutic rehabilitation phase.

Throughout the entirety of your time in residential addiction treatment, you will be supported through withdrawal symptoms, receive therapies tailored to you to understand the causes of your addiction, and aid in the creation of a post-rehab recovery and relapse prevention plan.

In the UK, residential addiction treatments typically last for 28 days.

However, the recommended duration of your stay will vary depending on your circumstances and the severity of your addiction.

Detoxing As Part Of Residential Addiction Treatment

The rehabilitation process for addiction to some substances will require detoxification.

Detoxification is the removal of all traces of a substance from your body.

It is necessary when the substance is physically addictive, and the process is often followed by a variety of nasty – and potentially very dangerous – withdrawal symptoms.

The list of substances requiring detoxification includes:

Due to the withdrawal symptoms, it is highly recommended that detoxing take place as part of residential addiction treatment.

This way, you will receive support as you experience cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

After the detoxing phase has concluded, you can begin the next part of your residential addiction treatment which will focus on therapy and maintaining your abstinence.

Therapeutic Rehabilitation As Part Of Residential Addiction Treatment

The therapeutic phase of the residential addiction treatment will focus on the causes and impact of your experience with addiction.

The therapy will be carried out by a qualified clinician and will be designed to suit your unique needs and circumstances.

It will aim to explore your history of substance abuse, analysing what factors have impacted your experience of addiction.

Through understanding the factors that have led to your substance addiction, you will be better equipped to move forward into a life of abstinence and recovery.

Every person’s experience of therapy is different, and which therapy you undergo will depend on you.

However, there are some therapies that are widely used as part of the therapeutic phase of residential addiction treatment, including:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) will assist you in understanding the causes of your behaviours. It will help you to notice and be aware of your decision-making process and ultimately make better choices.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) focuses on the development of coping strategies. It is designed to teach and support you to create strategies which you can use to control impulsive and intense feelings while recognising that those feelings occur for a reason.
Family Therapy will work with and your family, understanding that a person’s actions are often impacted by those around them. It also acknowledges that your behaviour, as a person living with addiction, may have damaged family relationships which could lead to unhealthy behaviours in the future. Working with you and your loved ones, family therapy aims to create a supportive environment for you post-residential addiction treatment, where you will be helped to make the right decisions.

Therapy is a core component of the residential addiction treatment process, and will be one of the most important factors in helping you to live a life of sobriety.

In addition, it is at its most effective when it occurs in a residential setting, as you are able to focus solely on your therapy and your desired outcomes without external distractions.

What Are The Advantages Of Residential Addiction Treatment?

There are multiple benefits to residential addiction treatment, over other at-home treatments and quasi-residential treatments.

Support

Firstly, you can receive physical and psychological support at all hours of the day.

This is especially useful while you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms during the detoxing phase, as you can rely on the experience of the qualified professionals around you for help, advice and support.

In the case of physically severe withdrawal symptoms, which can be especially dangerous with an addiction to alcohol, that experience and training can be completely necessary to mitigate the risk of serious complications like delirium tremens.

Environment

With residential addiction treatment, you will also be removed from any and all factors that can result in a relapse.

For example, if you were undergoing an at-home detox you might still be around people and relationships who, either directly or indirectly, make you more likely to relapse.

You might have distractions and are more likely to come into contact with triggers for temptation or cravings.

While undergoing residential addiction treatment, the opposite is true.

You will be in a positive environment with people who are actively engaged in supporting your choice to break your addiction.

Reassurance

While you’re at your stay in a residential facility, your close family and friends will have the assurance that you are safe and well, and are being looked after by professionals.

While addiction impacts you directly, it can also have repercussions on those close to you.

Knowing that you are taking residential addiction treatment will provide them with respite and relief, and can help to reduce feelings of anxiety about your addiction.

Effectiveness

There are many advantages to residential addiction treatment that can’t be offered by outpatient treatments and quasi-residential treatments.

These make it one of the most effective options to consider when you are looking for services to help you recover from your addiction.

How Long Does Residential Addiction Treatment Last?

In the UK, the typical duration of residential addiction treatment is no shorter than 28 days.

However, the recommended length of stay depends on a wide variety of personal and health-related factors.

One such factor is the type of substance you are addicted to.

As previously stated, different addictive substances have different physical and psychological impacts.

Recovery from these impacts can take different amounts of time, depending on the length of your addiction and its severity.

Extensions

If your addiction is more severe, residential addiction treatment can last as long as 12 weeks.

This length of treatment will usually only be recommended if you have been using large doses of your addictive substance very frequently.

The length and severity of withdrawal symptoms in the detox phase could also impact how long your residential addiction treatment lasts.

If your withdrawal symptoms last longer than expected, then this can push back the start of the therapeutic phase.

If your withdrawal symptoms are more severe than expected, this can have the same impact as you may need some time to recover from tiredness and physical discomfort.

Equally, if you are finding that you need more time in the therapeutic stage before your residential addiction treatment ends, your length of stay can be extended to accommodate this too.

Assessments

In order to understand what length of residential addiction treatment would be best suited to fit your circumstances, you will undergo an assessment.

This assessment will then be used to provide you with a professional recommendation and a bespoke treatment plan.