How Long is Marijuana Rehab?

According to the NIDA, “On average, adults seeking treatment for marijuana use disorders have used marijuana nearly every day for more than 10 years and have attempted to quit more than six times.” This shows that individuals who need marijuana treatment would do best to consider some sort of long-term rehab program. The average program for marijuana rehab, though, is similar to that for other individuals in rehabilitation.

Length of Rehabilitation Programs

Good outcomes for treatment of any type of drug addiction syndrome are often contingent on the individual attending for the right amount of time. The NIDA states, “Generally, for residential or outpatient treatment, participation for less than 90 days is of limited effectiveness, and treatment lasting significantly longer is recommended for maintaining positive outcomes.” This time frame is usually true of any type of addiction recovery process and treatment length, including that for marijuana addiction.

Furthermore, because individuals in marijuana rehab have a likelihood of experiencing repeat relapses and other issues, rehab may need to be longer than the average 90 days in order for any individual to be able to truly benefit from the program.

Marijuana Rehab on Average

One of the goals of marijuana rehab is to avoid relapse.

On average, most individuals who attend marijuana rehab do so in an outpatient setting. This is partially because the drug does not cause intense, painful, or life-threatening withdrawal symptoms like some drugs do but rather issues like irritability, restlessness, chills, sweating, anxiety, and some abdominal pain. These individuals would rather attend treatment while they are able to continue on with their lives which is why outpatient marijuana rehab is more popular.

In some cases, outpatient rehab can be somewhat hands-off but in others it can be very beneficial. It is important that the patient, if choosing to attend outpatient rehab, does so at a facility where they feel comfortable and are receiving treatment which is helpful to them.

Treatment Length for Marijuana Rehab

No matter what type of treatment they decide to attend, if a patient goes into marijuana rehab, they are likely to experience better results if they attend treatment in the long term. According to a study from the NCBI, “Longer term contingencies or addiction interventions may be needed to obtain enduring effects” when it comes to those who are treated with contingency management for marijuana as a secondary drug of abuse.

There are many reasons why marijuana abusers attend rehab so many times and continue to experience relapse. One of these is involved in treatment length. Because marijuana is so commonly abused and easily obtainable, it may be important for someone struggling with marijuana addiction to attend multiple rehab programs in order to continue with their treatment and avoid relapse.

Adequate treatment lengths are important, and a person in marijuana rehab should consider longer term treatment. But, even someone who finishes a 90 day or 6 month rehab program may then want to attend a support group. For some individuals in marijuana recovery, one rehab program may end but that doesn’t mean that another cannot be started afterward.