Can You Check Yourself Out of Rehab?

Looking at the Implications of Leaving Rehab Early

Consider this analogy that answers the question: Can you check yourself out of rehab early? Imagine pulling a delicious chocolate cake out of the oven before it’s fully baked. It smells so tempting and looks great.

But when you cut into it, the raw, gooey inside causes the entire cake to collapse. The inside of the cake does not have the structure to carry the weight of what appears fine on the outside.

When you leave rehab early, you face a similar problem. Leaving the treatment center too soon, before the recovery process has brought you stability, leaves you with unresolved issues. Even worse, it could undo all the progress you’ve made.

Ingrained Recovery is a mental health and drug and alcohol addiction inpatient treatment center in Eastman, Georgia. We provide clients with evidence-based, holistic care and the support of licensed drug addiction specialists.

We applaud you for admitting you need a rehab program to help you get a great start on your recovery journey. But we also highly urge you to follow through with your treatment plan until medical professionals agree that you are ready to reintegrate with the world.

We invite you to continue reading to learn the answer to your question about leaving rehab early and explain the possible consequences of doing so.

Can You Leave Rehab Early?

The short answer to the question: can you leave rehab early is yes. Substance abuse treatment centers can’t force a client to remain for long-term recovery against their will, with the rare exception of legal orders.

One example of an exception is court-ordered rehab for possession of a controlled substance. Another instance is when someone has an involuntary commitment because they pose a threat to themself or others.

But it’s not a good idea.

Leaving treatment facilities can feel appealing, especially when you’ve made progress. But just like our cake-baking example, you have not established firm building blocks to support continued progress. Maintaining sobriety is a long shot without complete treatment and the mastering coping skills you need to stay sober.

8 Potential Consequences of Leaving a Rehab Center Against Medical Advice

Here are some of the possible pitfalls if an addicted person chooses to voluntarily leave rehab against medical advice:

1) A Decrease in Your Mental Health

The rehab process does more than treat addiction. You also receive treatment for the additional disorder if you have a dual diagnosis or drug abuse and another mental illness.

When you check out of rehab, you’ll no longer receive treatment for those issues. That includes obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, or any other mental health-challenging issues.

The emotional instability that comes after leaving treatment early often causes mood swings or turning back to drugs or alcohol addiction to self-medicate.

2) Unresolved Trauma or PTSD

Many people struggle with substance abuse to ease trauma. Addiction treatment programs specifically design rehab therapies to address the trauma so they can heal.

If you leave early, you will not fully work through the emotional upheaval of your traumatic event. You need help healing both the root cause of your alcohol or drug addiction – the trauma – and the substance use to achieve lifelong recovery.

3) High Risk of Relapse (Can’t Maintain Sobriety)

Leaving rehab early drastically reduces your chances of staying clean and sober for more than a few days. When you enter rehab, you start a gradual process that demands time. You need to work with a therapist over several weeks to address your mental health concerns.

When you leave rehab AMA (against medical advice), ranges for sobriety may be from a few hours to days at the most. To make matters worse, it can be more complicated to break the addiction cycle when you’re ready to try again.

4) Onset of Withdrawal Symptoms

Addiction treatment at a rehab center starts with a cleansing period. During that time, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. The unpleasant symptoms you may experience in the initial stages or during the early treatment process vary depending on the drug of choice.

Withdrawal symptoms during the first few days or weeks of rehab often include:

• Muscle aches
• Upset stomach
• Blood pressure fluctuations
• Sleep issues
• Many other medical issues

When people leave rehab early, especially during withdrawal symptoms, they have little chance of staying sober. The physical symptoms grow so severe that many use it again (usually as soon as they leave rehab) to ease the discomfort.

5) Increasing the Risk of Overdose

The increased chance of an overdose can be a life-threatening consequence of leaving the rehab center against medical advice. After you have been sober for some time, your tolerance for drugs or alcohol lessens.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains that unknowingly using the same amount as you did before arriving and starting your drug treatment program can lead to overdosing. When you leave the built-in structure and safety of the rehab center, you are in imminent danger.

6) Insurance Coverage and Financial Implications

Leaving the addiction center too soon could have a whopping financial backlash. Some insurances cover rehab addiction care only if the client completes the treatment program in full.

If you leave before completing your drug rehab, the insurance policy may refuse to pay for the substance abuse services you’ve already received, causing you to foot the bill. Leaving rehab against medical advice may lead to grave financial strain, possibly triggering further alcohol or drug abuse.

7) Loss of Trust by Family Members or Loved Ones

Family members or partners can feel betrayed when someone leaves rehab AMA.

One of the best parts of rehab for many clients is family therapy. This treatment allows families and significant others to talk openly with you as a counselor leads the conversation. Leaving rehab early denies you and your family the chance to heal any relationship rifts that have resulted from addiction.

Additional hurt comes because they don’t fully understand the nature of addiction. It damages trust and leaves people even more confused.

8) Legal or Employment Problems

If you have a court order compelling you to complete rehab, leaving early can cause you to have some pretty severe legal issues. It definitely means you’ll be back in court and facing steep fines or jail time (depending on the initial charges).

Some people seek treatment because their employer gives them a chance to have time away from the job when seeking help to achieve long-term recovery. If you check out of rehab early, you will not receive evidence of successful completion of treatment required by most employers to return to the job.

Contact Ingrained Recovery for Reliable Treatment Options Today

If you’ve read through to the end of this post, you are probably seeking treatment for yourself or someone you love. You might be under legal pressure or getting not-so-subtle from your best friend or partner. Alcohol or drug rehab is a win-win solution for you and others who hope you’ll find a pathway to long-term sobriety.

Let’s think back to that cake analogy from earlier. What if you don’t have the first clue about how to bake the cake or even know what ingredients you need?

Ingrained Recovery has the secret recipe. We can help you achieve the positive outcome you have dreamed of using evidence-based treatment techniques. We tailor every treatment plan to suit the individual; your program will not look exactly the same as other patients’ plans.

Interested in learning more about how you can get a successful foundation for recovery? Call us directly and check out our offerings. We’re confident that you can succeed with our help!