Leaving Rehab Early And The Effects on The Recovery Process
On this page, we are going to dive into an important question: can you check yourself out of rehab? If you are getting ready to enter rehab for the first time, or if a loved one has recently checked in, you may be wondering what the process looks like from start to finish.
Confronting substance use disorder in rehab is the best way to open up a brighter future, but the path is not always smooth.
But can you leave treatment early? The short answer is yes, you are never confined to a treatment facility when you admit voluntarily. To get more specific and provide details, we will discuss the reasons and laws around rehab attendance below.
Getting the best possible results from addiction treatment largely comes down to working with the right partner. And at Icarus Wellness and Recovery, you’ll have a supportive partner who is determined to help you reach lasting recovery.
Keep reading to learn more about the regulations around leaving rehab early, and if you (or a loved one getting care) are dissatisfied with your current rehab, please feel free to reach out confidentially by phone at any time to discuss our Joint Commission-accredited services.
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Can You Leave Rehab Before Treatment is Complete?
In most cases, yes, you are free to walk out of rehab at any time. Rehab centers are not prisons, and if you decide to leave, the team at the rehab facility generally doesn’t have the right to keep you there against your will. There are some exceptions to this rule of thumb, however, and we will talk about those in a moment.
Of course, there are some things to think about carefully before you decide to leave a treatment center in the middle of the inpatient treatment process. If you leave in the middle of the process, you will greatly increase the risk of a relapse. You might feel like you have overcome your addiction, but real life is rarely that easy.
If you find yourself in familiar circumstances when you leave, and you fall back into old habits, you’ll need to start the recovery process all over again.
Rehab programs are designed to progress through a series of steps, and failing to complete all the steps puts your health at serious risk.
When You Can’t Just Walk Out of Rehab
There are times when leaving rehab early isn’t as simple as just walking away. If you fall into one of the categories below, you might not be able to leave early without getting some form of approval first.
Court-Ordered Treatment Plans
If a judge has required you to attend rehab, leaving early is likely to result in legal consequences. For example, if the rehab is part of the terms of your sentencing or your probation, you’ll want to see it through to the end so you don’t wind up facing further punishments.
Minors in Treatment
For those under 18 years old, discharge from a rehab facility is generally left to a parent or guardian. If you are currently in rehab and are underage, you’ll likely need to have the permission of your legal guardian before you can leave.
Also, your long-term success is largely dependent on entering recovery, so sticking with the program to the end is going to be what’s best in your situation.
Mental Health Holds
Not everyone chooses to enter treatment on their own. Leaving rehab prematurely isn’t an option if you have been placed under a temporary hold as a result of being deemed a threat to yourself or others. These are not common situations, but completing treatment is generally necessary for individuals who fall into this category.
Why People Feel the Urge to Leave Rehab Early
It is common for people to think about leaving rehab early, even if they decided on their own volition to enter the rehab program. Alcohol or drug use is a hard habit to break, and you might find that you feel like getting out of the facility and returning to your old patterns.
Here are some of the common reasons that people cite when thinking about quitting a treatment plan.
Discomfort During Withdrawal
Simply put, withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable. Your body has gotten used to the substance abuse pattern, and it is accustomed to receiving those substances regularly. When that flow stops, there are a number of uncomfortable symptoms that arise.
It’s only natural to consider getting out of rehab rather than continuing to endure the discomfort. This is why it’s important to be in the hands of medical professionals in the rehab process so you can get the support you need during these tough times and stay on track.
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Emotional Vulnerability
During an inpatient treatment program, you are sure to experience several difficult emotions. You’ll feel vulnerable during this time, and those emotions might be hard to face. It’s best to stay and face them, of course, but the temptation to run away from this challenge will be lurking in the back of your mind.
Fear of Change
Change is always hard in life. It doesn’t matter if it’s related to addiction or anything else; it’s hard to face a significant change without feeling like you just want to turn around and go back to what is familiar.
Even with something like entering recovery, which is a positive change for a million different reasons, it’s still scary. To get through this process, you’ll need to learn new coping strategies, build reliable routines, and largely change the way you think about the world around you.
A Desire to Return to the Familiar
Entering rehab, especially an inpatient program, means leaving your normal routines and environments behind. That’s another unsettling experience, and it will leave you feeling vulnerable and unsettled. You might be tempted to leave rehab for the simple reason that you are comforted by the thought of going back to what you know, regardless of how harmful it may be.
What Happens If You Leave Rehab Too Soon?
So far, we’ve established that most adults are free to leave rehab early if they so choose. We’ve also looked at why you might be tempted to make that decision, even if it isn’t in your best interest in the long run.
What is it about leaving rehab early that is risky, and what kinds of harm could be done? The four points below highlight why the best move is to stay in the alcohol or drug treatment program until the end.
Leaving Rehab AMA and the Higher Risk of Relapse
It’s great to break the habit of using a substance, but that doesn’t mean the habit is gone forever. There is always the risk of relapse, and much of what you will do in a treatment center is work on building the coping skills and strategies you need to make sure a relapse doesn’t occur.
If you don’t finish the program and leave AMA (Against Medical Advice), however, you might lack the skills you need to keep a relapse at bay, and you’ll be at greater risk as a result.
Increased Physical Danger
One of the tricky things about rehab is that your body quickly loses its tolerance for the substances you were using while addicted. This is a good thing, of course, but it can also present a very serious danger.
When people leave rehab early, they are at risk of an overdose if they go right back to using a substance in the same quantity that they were before getting clean for a period of time. With a lower tolerance, a dose that wouldn’t have caused dangerous health consequences before could suddenly become a matter of life and death.
Unresolved Mental Health Symptoms
It’s one thing to stop using a substance, but it’s another thing entirely to resolve the underlying mental health issues that led you to addiction in the first place. That’s the real magic of addiction treatment, and by leaving early, you’ll miss out on the most important pieces of the puzzle.
Addiction specialists like those at Icarus Wellness and Recovery work hard to help you with things like anxiety, depression, and past trauma that needs to be addressed. Through group therapy, family therapy, and many other types of treatment, you can make meaningful progress and position yourself for recovery that truly lasts.
Missed Opportunities for Healing
Addiction takes a toll on everyone involved. You have been through a difficult time while addicted to drugs or alcohol, and the experience has harmed your family and friends, as well. By staying for the entire rehab process, you can tap into everything that treatment has to offer in the healing process.
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Find Support for Recovery that Works at Icarus Wellness
Don’t keep thinking about entering a treatment facility as something that will happen in the future. It can start today. Give us a call at Icarus Wellness and Recovery, and we’ll talk with you about treatment plans and the rehab process as a whole.
Whether you enter our facility dealing with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, or both, we are committed to making sure you leave in recovery and are ready for the challenges that lie ahead in life. Call us now, no matter the time of day or night, and start down the road toward long-term recovery. All calls are strictly confidential, so pick up the phone now for proven support options.
