How Long Does It Take to Get Sober and Stay Sober?

Addiction treatment can significantly improve a person’s physical and mental health, helping them gain the skills and strength they need for long-lasting recovery after drug or alcohol abuse. However, it’s natural to wonder about how long it takes to successfully overcome an addiction. If you’re unsure how long does it take to get sober, you’re not alone.

While there isn’t one universal answer to this question – the length of time to treat an addiction varies greatly depending on each person’s needs and individual circumstances – effective, safe treatment is available at drug and alcohol rehab facilities in California, like Resurgence Behavioral Health.

Our expert team can help you determine the right treatment program that you or your loved one will need to break the chains of addiction. We can assist you with the logistics of starting treatment, such as verifying your insurance coverage or determining how to get addiction treatment without losing your job. Let’s explore some of the concepts that affect how long it takes to get sober and how treatment at Resurgence can help.

How Long Does It Take for Alcohol to Wear Off?

Individual circumstances are important to consider if you’re questioning how long it takes for alcohol to wear off or leave your system. In terms of testing for alcohol, breath and saliva tests usually can only be accurate for the detection of alcohol for 12 to 24 hours. However, heavy drinking can make alcohol show up in urine tests for up to a few days.

While someone can quickly become drunk, the intoxicating effects of alcohol will dissipate slowly over time. The length of time, again, will vary depending on the person, with factors like their body weight, gender, and other medications or medical problems.

According to the University of Arizona’s Campus Health Service, it takes about an hour and a half for a man who weighs 180 pounds to get to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of zero after consuming one drink. If that same man had six drinks, it would take about eight hours to reach a zero BAC, while a 240-pound man who had six drinks would reach zero BAC after six hours.

It takes about two hours for a 140-pound woman to get to a zero BAC after having one standard drink and 12.5 hours to get to zero if she had six drinks.

Can Your Brain Recover From Drugs?

The intoxicating effects of alcohol or drugs almost always come down to how the substance is affecting the user’s brain – and that, unfortunately, means that drastic impacts on how our brains work are a common outcome of drug or alcohol use.

The severity of brain damage or changes to a person’s mental health is an important consideration if you’re wondering how long does it take to get sober. The impact on a user’s brain will depend on their age, the substances used, how much was taken, and how often it was used.

Common brain impacts from drug use include changes to our neurotransmitters, which affect how we feel, think, learn, and respond to new experiences or challenging situations. The National Institutes of Health says a healthy brain’s messaging circuits reward or reinforce safe, healthy behaviors by helping us consider the consequences of our actions.

People who become addicted to drugs or alcohol will alter their brains, becoming drawn to repeated usage or getting more of the substance to trigger “feel-good” brain responses. Drug usage can change our ability to make good decisions and remember what’s going on, and that can fuel addiction as well.

Another impact is addiction can make our emotional and danger-sensing brain pathways overactive, making us feel paranoid, anxious, stressed, or depressed.

The good news is that the brain can repair itself from some or most of this damage. Effective addiction treatment and ongoing social support after rehab, such as support groups, continuing counseling, networking events, and even sober dating apps for people in recovery after drug or alcohol addiction, can all help someone in recovery continue to stay motivated and on track.

How Long Do Comedowns Last?

If you’re wondering why you experience a “comedown” of low mood, energy level, or overall feelings, it’s all because of how drugs and alcohol affect us and create intoxicating effects. Australia’s Alcohol and Drug Foundation says comedowns happen as our bodies respond to a drug wearing off.

The drug affects things like our brain chemistry or how our brain circuits interact, and as the drug wears off, our brains will try to restore themselves and deal with chemical imbalances. This can cause feelings that are opposite of the intoxicating or euphoric effects of the drug you took, and that can make a recovering user feel stressed, agitated, exhausted, or mentally unwell.

While drug comedowns are unpleasant and distressing, the ADF says they usually will last only two to three days and typically aren’t dangerous. However, it’s important to remember that many substances can cause withdrawal side effects, and that’s why medical detox programs with medication and medical support are often essential before beginning addiction treatment programs.

How Long Does It Take for Your Body to Get Rid of Addiction?

So, how long does it take to get sober, and, more importantly, how long will it take to fully overcome an addiction? The answer can vary quite a bit from person to person. That’s why leading addiction treatment centers like Resurgence Behavioral Health focus on providing customized, personalized treatment programs specifically designed to meet the exact needs of each patient.

We offer a full range of addiction treatment services, including medical detox, drug and alcohol rehab, aftercare support services, and Orange County sober living programs. Whether you would most benefit from an outpatient addiction treatment program or should spend 90 days in an inpatient treatment facility, we’ll help you find the right treatment options and support services that you need to kick your addiction once and for all.

Get Sober and Stay Sober with Help From Resurgence Behavioral Health

If you’re wondering how long does it take to get sober, you know by now that the answer will depend on the circumstances. Each person is different, and things like past drug or alcohol usage, how much was consumed each time, other health conditions, and many other factors will make the answer vary when considering how long it will take to overcome an addiction or struggles with abusing drugs or alcohol.

However, what is a straightforward concept is help is available, and professionals can help you or a loved one get through drug or alcohol withdrawal and receive the support, guidance, and education you need to achieve long-lasting recovery.

In California, Resurgence Behavioral Health is a leading provider of comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs, including medically supervised detox, inpatient and outpatient drug and alcohol rehab, dual diagnosis treatment, and more.

Our experts know that addiction can be treated, and they know how to provide the proper specialized treatment personalized to meet your needs. Learn more today about how we can help by calling us at 855-458-0050. We’re ready to help.

External Source

• University of Arizona Campus Health Service – How Long Does It Take for Alcohol to Leave Your System?
• National Institutes of Health – Biology of Addiction
• Australia Alcohol and Drug Foundation – Drug Comedowns

David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.

Research | Editorial