Blog

  • Wish though we might, no recovery method is “one size fits all.” When the time comes to take our own journey toward healing, we need the guiding philosophy that’s right for us, not the one that’s right for some or most. Plenty of recovery programs......

    23 March, 2021

  • Recovery is fraught with self-doubt, self-loathing, and a seemingly endless struggle between our best natures and our worst.  To some, recovery and life’s toughest moments are made easier by faith in Christ. Many come to recovery with a strong Christian faith.  The path of Celebrate......

    13 January, 2021

  • Recovery is a deeply personal process. The journey we take should reflect our own beliefs and better represent the goals we desire most to achieve. For some in recovery, this means the 12 step program. Others, however, need something additional or different to grab hold......

    15 December, 2020

  • The holidays can be a difficult time for everyone. But for those of us in recovery, the travel, stress, and scrutiny of our loved ones can make talking about our journey feel difficult–or even impossible.  Even so, it’s a safe bet that the holidays will......

    15 November, 2020

  • The first thing most people in recovery want to focus on is rebuilding and healing relationships. The process of healing relationships will take time, and it will require patience. But as you walk your path of recovery, you will eventually find yourself in a place......

    01 October, 2020

  • National Recovery Month celebrates the accomplishments made by those in recovery. The theme for this year’s National Recovery Month is Join the Voices for Recovery: Celebrating Connections. This means a lot to us at the 4th Dimension because we value continued connection within the recovery......

    15 September, 2020

  • According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health data gathered in 2018, 5.6% of women in the United States have a substance use disorder. This same survey found that 4.9 million women (3.5% of the total population) in the U.S. misuse opioids, which......

    25 August, 2020

  • There are many misconceptions when it comes to medication-assisted recovery programs for people seeking recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs. Some people see those who use medication as part of their recovery plan as not really being in recovery at all or as using......

    20 July, 2020

  • Recovery Dharma is a Buddhist recovery system offered at The 4th Dimension. The Recovery Dharma Sangha Summit is a yearly convention that allows all recovery dharma meetings and meeting attendees to stay up to date on the current teachings and meeting procedures. There will be......

    16 July, 2020

  • The isolation and loneliness associated with quarantine due to the coronavirus have caused many recovering from substance abuse to make backward progress. Reacclimating from isolation and getting back on track to sober living takes mindfulness and a community of support to be successful.  The 4th......

    12 June, 2020

THE “SWEET SPOT”? FOR ADOLESCENTS THAT ATTEND RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT, 60 TO 90 DAYS MAY BE IDEAL

  • For individuals and families seeking recovery: Residential treatment has been shown to facilitate substance use disorder remission and improvements in functioning and well-being overall. This study showed that adolescents were convicted of crimes and hospitalized longer after treatment exit if they stayed in treatment for 60–89 days compared to less. If you or a loved one is considering how long to attend residential treatment, staying at least 60 days may be more helpful compared to less.
  • For treatment professionals and treatment systems: Residential treatment has been found to be helpful in facilitating improvements in substance use outcomes and life functioning and wellbeing generally. However, there is little consensus regarding the ideal length of stay for adolescents to reduce criminal convictions and hospitalizations. This study found that for adolescents who attended this program in Australia, those that stayed for 60–89 days were convicted much later than those that did not say as long. However, adolescents were not randomized to these lengths of stay. Further work is needed to identify if specific components of this treatment program played a unique role and what exactly adolescents gained by staying longer.
  • For scientists: Findings from this study suggest that adolescents who stay in residential treatment for 60–89 days are at a reduced risk of criminal convictions and hospitalizations for substance use. Although residential treatment has been found to be beneficial for substance use and general functioning and wellbeing, this study showed that attending treatment for 60–89 days also conferred significant benefits related to criminal convictions and hospitalizations. However, more work is needed to confirm these findings. The adolescents were not randomized to length of stay groups, nor were they matched. Thus, there are likely unmeasured variables (e.g., addiction severity) that may account for these findings. That said, less severe cases would have conceivably received shorter lengths of stay but it was longer stays – typically associated with greater severity – that were associated with more benefits, so there may still be something about duration of treatment that is important independent of other factors. Future work should investigate if these findings replicate when adolescents are matched (e.g., propensity score matching) and which specific areas of functioning are improved by staying for this length of time in treatment.
  • For policy makers: Substance use related criminal convictions and hospitalizations account for many convictions and hospitalizations. This study found that adolescents who attended residential treatment for 60–89 days had reduced risk criminal convictions and substance use hospitalizations. Thus, it may be of significant public health benefit to support adolescent treatment programs and insurance coverage for durations of stay of 60 days or more. Funding and public policies that enable adolescents to attend such programs and researchers to study those programs, including outpatient delivered services, will likely help individuals, families, and the general public.

 

source https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/residential-treatment-60-90-days-ideal-adolescents/