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Learn the duration for breaking an addiction

Are you looking for the answer to how long does it take to break an addiction to drug and alcohol or other addictions?

If the answer is yes, then you have come to the exact resources that you need.

Addiction is a serious problem in the world, especially in the U.S. With millions of Americans with addictions problems such as drugs and alcohol, some are looking to break the habit.

Now how long it takes to break that habit of addiction varies and depends on many factors which we will be discussing later.

The 21-day myth

Since addiction is a habit and some believe that that it takes 21 days to break a habit.

Thus for some people, it may take 21 days to break the habit of addiction.

The reality is that breaking a bad habit is complicated. If it is that easy then there will be no relapse for alcoholics and drug addicts.

While it may take 21 days to form and break some easy habits when it comes to bad habits such as drugs, alcohol, gambling,  smoking, sex addictions it is complicated and harder to break in just 21 days.

So if you are looking to know how long it will take to break a serious addiction habit and someone tells you that it is 21 days, just know that they are lying to you.

There are just so many variables which we will be discussing below.

The 90 days myth

There is also another myth that says that how long it takes to break an addiction is 90 days.

This myth probably came from the fact that some research such as the one pointed out by this Time Magazine article about a Yale study on how the brain changes after 90 days of abstinence from addictive behavior.

So does it take 90 days to break the habit of addiction? It depends on many factors.

What some research has shown about breaking habits

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an effective treatment length for drug treatment should be 90 days or more. They basically are saying that studies have shown that those who stay in rehabilitation for 90 days for drug addiction treatment tend to have a more positive outcome.

According to a study in 2019 published in The European Journal of Social Psychology by Phillippa Lally and colleagues,  it took most of the participants to take 18-254 days to form their habit. With the average being 66 days.

With the above studies and others, there is no definite answer to the question of how long does it take to break an addiction habit.

So how long it will take one to break their addiction to drug and alcohol or another type of addiction depends on many factors.

The best thing is for one to make sure that they get into the right rehab facility, choose the right amount of treatment length such as the 90-day rehabs, and follow through with all aftercare programs et cetera.

Factors that determine how long it takes to break the habit of addiction to drug, alcohol, smoking etc

As mentioned above, how long it takes to break an addiction to alcohol, drug and other types of addiction varies because of variable factors.

Some of those factors are:

  • The individual
  • The type of addiction
  • How long the individual has been addicted
  • The frequency of the addictive behavior
  •  

Considering rehab? Get connected for a free no-obligation consultation

We hope that we have provided some great information to your question of how long does it take to break an addiction to alcohol drug and other types of addiction.

If you still have questions and are looking to get yourself or a loved one into a private rehab for an addiction treatment please call now to be connected to an admission counselor for a no-obligation consultation.

There is no cost to you for calling the number and as mentioned it is a free consultation.

Updated on May 21st, 2023