What is the Timeline For Breaking an Addiction?

Overcoming addiction is not a short or easy process. However, it is possible with the right support. The timeline for how long it takes to break addiction varies from person to person, with the average of six months for overcoming harmful coping mechanisms and a couple of years to solidify your new habits and lasting change.

Addiction Recovery Timeline

How long does it take to break addiction?

Anyone who has struggled with addiction has grappled with this question. Will it take weeks? Months? Is it over after detox? Or after rehab?

The timeline can look different depending on how you measure it. For some people, they measure their recovery by the amount of time it takes to recognize an addiction and seek help. Others refer to the timeline based on how long a recovery program is. Still, some people want to know how long it takes before they are “cured” or “fixed” permanently, with no risk of relapse.

It is important to recognize that addiction is a chronic condition and it has no ultimate cure or fix, but it does have treatment options.

To that end, how long it takes to actually overcome an addiction encompasses all of these and more, particularly the more difficult final stages that come after completing an outpatient program, where you have to work on maintaining your sobriety, maintaining the skills you were taught, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The Maintenance Stage of Addiction Recovery

This final maintenance stage in the cycle of addiction recovery is where individuals work to:

Prevent relapse
Maintain new lifestyle habits
Utilize coping skills

This stage is where an individual has gone through detox, learned about recovery and the steps involved, and is focused on keeping up with things like exercise, support group meetings, and other healthy coping skills.

With East Coast Recovery, our goal is to help clients throughout the stages, with flexible outpatient programs that teach skills needed for long-term stability. We know that the maintenance stage is often the most challenging because that is when individuals often complete their outpatient program and start maintaining their sobriety more independently.

With our ongoing outpatient treatment, we make it possible to receive weekly care during a difficult time and continue to participate in social activities in the community. These help build a support system on which clients can rely during their ups and downs.

Find Support for Your Addiction Recovery Journey at East Coast Recovery

The amount of time it takes to break an addiction is different for everyone. That is why, at East Coast Recovery, we help clients with different levels of outpatient care, including dual diagnosis and MAT treatment.

Call today to learn more about our amenities and support for overcoming addiction.

FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Stop Being Addicted?

There are several stages to the recovery process. Once you have made the decision to get help and started your treatment plan with detox, you can expect the final stages of maintaining your sobriety and overcoming addiction long-term to last several months, if not years. Many clients will reach the point where they don’t fall back on maladaptive or harmful behaviors as a coping mechanism after several months, but it can take several years for you to solidify your change permanently.
The more you participate in things like community connections, therapy, finding new hobbies, and keeping yourself supported and occupied, the less likely you are to risk a relapse.

Can Outpatient Treatment Help Break An Addiction?

Studies have shown that outpatient treatment can be very useful in breaking an addiction. In fact, outpatient programs like ours make addiction treatment more accessible, and completing an outpatient program means you are less likely to relapse compared to those who don’t complete their program.
The right outpatient treatment program should be customized to your needs, including therapies and support groups that help you with underlying mental health disorders. With these programs, you can find support and coping mechanisms that make it possible to break free from addiction.

Do I Need Community Events to Support Recovery?

Participation in community events is a great way to expedite your recovery timeline. For many people, choosing to get help for addiction means saying goodbye to old habits and sometimes old friends. It can be a time of extreme loneliness and isolation. With East Coast Recovery, we help connect clients to things like Friday group sessions on the beach, transportation to and from meetings, cookouts, and local community events.
All of these things help you build a new community, with sober support at the center of it all. With the right social network, the time it takes to break an addiction won’t seem as long or as difficult.

Does Addiction Ever Really Go Away?

Addiction does not have a cure, but there are treatment options that can help you overcome the harmful behaviors associated with addiction and treat any other co-occurring mental health disorders that you have.
The right type of treatment will give you access to things like medication and therapy for a mental health disorder, as well as coping skills and emotional regulation, so that you don’t continue to turn to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism during times of stress or challenge.

Can I Ever Change As An Addict?

Absolutely. If you have struggled with addiction, it’s important to recognize that while there is no cure, there are certainly things you can learn in therapy or support groups, and tools or coping skills you can apply that make it easier for you to make good choices.
Addiction might tell you that drugs and alcohol are the easiest option, but with the right type of outpatient treatment, you can learn that there are significantly better options out there for dealing with things like difficult emotions, stress, or challenges.