Longer Treatment Episodes for Alcoholism Lead to an Improved Quality of Life Over Time

Alcohol Use Disorder can steal your life right out from under you. Your authentic self can become buried by the alcoholic, and it can, at times, feel like there is no way out. We get it. At Bridging the Gaps, we have successfully led hundreds of people across the bridge to recovery. We believe that treatment is about more than just staying sober, which is why we offer a comprehensive long-term continuum of care that provides you with the tools to thrive. What we have learned over the last 20 years is that lasting change requires a level of commitment to the process. You need to understand where you are going to map a path to get there.

How do you define successful treatment for alcohol use disorder?

Perhaps you define successful treatment for alcoholism as simply no longer drinking. While technically that is a workable definition, a life in recovery can be about so much more than not drinking. At Bridging the Gaps, we emphasize supporting you to develop a strong identity outside of your addiction so that you can build a meaningful life in recovery. To us, success looks like abstaining from substances to cultivate a life aligned with your values. We help you to explore the root causes of your addiction so that you can heal the hurts that keep you sick. Then we teach you the tools to change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Over time, through hard work and the support of your community, you can break free from the grasp of addiction and get your life back.

The disease of addiction is a “chronic medical disease with complex interactions among the brain, genetics, environment, and life experiences” (ASAM). Given the complex nature of addiction and the prevalence of relapse, there are many effective approaches to treating the disease. Our integrated approach to treatment incorporates dozens of therapeutic theories, tools, and techniques. All these interventions work together to help you to heal but none of them are going to be effective with one key component.

What is one of the most important factors to be able to stop drinking?

Time. Specifically, time spent in treatment. The recovery journey for any chronic disease requires a time commitment and dedication to learn what you can do to manage the disease. You want to focus on healing the parts of you that you can and then learn the tools to manage the parts of your life that are still impacted by the disease.

Let’s use heart disease as a metaphor. Having a heart attack is an acute manifestation of a long-term disease. This is akin to an alcoholic having a crisis in their life as a direct result of their drinking. This crisis could be medical or, because addiction is complicated, it could be a legal, financial, or relational crisis. Many people require the metaphorical heart attack such as a DUI, a spouse leaving, or the loss of a job to get them to seek out treatment – they need to hit a consequence that motivates action.

The heart attack is resolved relatively quickly. A stay in the hospital and maybe a medical intervention stabilizes the individual so that their heart disease is no longer an immediate threat to their life. You can think of this as the detox process. A stay in the hospital and a carefully monitored detox from alcohol takes away the immediate threat. But the treatment of chronic disease doesn’t stop there. With heart disease, depending on the severity, maybe you need cardiac rehab or further interventions to heal from the heart attack. This is akin to needing the structure and safety of residential treatment to heal from the crisis.

Many think this is where treatment ends. The crisis was handled through detox and treatment to address the acute consequences of the crisis has been completed by going to 28 days of residential treatment. While the heart attack is now healed, if you want to prevent having another one, you need to learn how to manage the disease. With heart disease that might mean that you need a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a stress reduction program, or ongoing medication management. With addiction, you need continued care to address the causes of addiction and build a toolbox to help manage your disease long-term to prevent a future relapse.

Does research show a benefit to staying in addiction treatment longer?

Research on the outcomes of addiction treatment is being conducted by a couple of key research organizations that Bridging the Gaps has participated in. The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) is one such organization. They have developed a research arm called FoRSE that looks specifically at outcome data across treatment providers in the US. In 2024, FoRSE published its annual summary that showed preliminary results on their ongoing research.

What FoRSE reports, on page 39, is that those who receive treatment for more than 30 days reported significantly better outcomes one year after treatment than individuals who spent less than 30 days in treatment. One of the great things about this report is that it shows that, not only are clients 65% less likely to relapse after treatment when they have stayed in treatment longer than 30 days, but that they also have fewer risk factors and a “significantly higher Quality of Life.” This goes back to our definition for the successful treatment of alcohol use disorder. Staying longer in treatment not only makes you less likely to drink again but it also leads to a life worth living.

How long does addiction treatment need to last to gain better outcomes?

This is a question that we do not yet have the answer to. Another research organization that Bridging the Gaps is part of is Vista Research Group. Vista put out the below graph that shows that the longer a person stays in treatment, the higher the likelihood will be that they will still be sober one year after treatment.

This research is really exciting because it proves that what we have always known at BTG is validated by the data. If you stay engaged in the treatment of addiction for longer, you have a better chance of building a lasting program of recovery.

What is the ideal amount of treatment for alcohol use disorder?

The research doesn’t yet give us this answer. The Vista chart above shows that 91+ days is better than 46 – 90 days, but 91+ can be a very big range for treatment. We have some clients who have remained in our outpatient program for years. While we don’t have the data to show it, an argument could be made that it would be likely for a client engaged in treatment, at an appropriate level of care, for a year would do better than one who completed at 91 or 100 days.

The reason for that assumption is based on the understanding of how the American Psychiatric Association defines the disease of addiction in the DSM-5, the diagnostic manual for mental health disorders. Addictions are considered to be in early remission after 90 days of abstinence. So, if treatment ends before that 90-day period is over, then the client is leaving treatment without having gained remission from the disease. An individual is not considered to be in sustained remission until 1-year of abstinence is reached.

If you only stay in treatment for 30 or 60 days, you are not setting yourself up for long-term success. Let’s use another medical metaphor. This time consider the treatment of cancer. You would not expect good results for your cancer treatment if you only did the first round of interventions and then stopped treatment before making sure that you are in remission. You want to make sure that the disease process has halted before you stop the treatment. Same is true in addiction, you want to stay involved in the treatment process while you are in early recovery.

Do I have to put my life on hold for a year to recover from alcohol use?

At Bridging the Gaps, we believe in a long-term continuum of care for the best results in addiction treatment. According to our annual reports, our clients stay with us an average 4 – 6 months. We have seen that research supports this approach. While staying in treatment for a longer period of time is beneficial for your long-term success, treatment does not look the same over time.  We use a tapered approach to provide the right amount of treatment at the right time based on where you are along your recovery journey. Each level of care provides a different focus, purpose, and time commitment. Along the path, you will gain greater autonomy while building resilience, problem-solving, & coping mechanisms for real-world challenges.

As one individual shared on our page Google, “I don’t think I would have been able to get sober at any other treatment center. Bridging the Gaps isn’t your typical 30-day facility. It encapsulates a long-term layout that, if completed, increases chances of long-term sobriety significantly.”

That is what we want for you: long-term sobriety and a life worth living.

Are you ready to begin your journey to recovery?

Reach out to our Admissions Director with any questions, through our Admissions Page. 

Stephanie Perkins | Program Director

Beginning in equine-assisted therapy, Stef combined entrepreneurship with healing through the power of horse-human connections. After working at several residential treatment programs, she found her home at Bridging the Gaps in 2018, rising from Case Manager to Program Director. She now leads a passionate team helping those battling addiction, while finding joy in literature and outdoor adventures with her rescue dog.