Can I Leave Rehab Early?

Starting inpatient or residential treatment for addiction is a brave, powerful step towards living the life you truly deserve. This level of care gives you the opportunity to take a step back from daily life and fully focus on healing your body and mind.

It’s completely normal to feel nervous or anxious when considering if inpatient treatment is right for you and your addiction recovery. It can seem like a big commitment, especially if you’re unsure of whether or not you can leave treatment early or what would happen if you did.

While you can always reach out to a treatment professional to address any concerns you may have, in this guide, we’ll answer some of the most common questions that people have about leaving addiction treatment early.  

Can You Leave Rehab Whenever You Want?

During the admissions process, you will go over your legal rights as a client in treatment. This not only includes your right to consent to treatment, but also your right to refuse treatment.

As a client, you are allowed to refuse treatment and leave whenever you want. This is called leaving against medical advice (AMA), and there are no legal repercussions for doing so. If addiction treatment is court-mandated, however, you may face legal repercussions for leaving treatment early.

While you have the right to leave treatment AMA, professionals strongly recommend that you see it through to the end. In addition to missing out on all of the benefits that come with completing treatment, there are several other downsides that come with leaving early. 

Will Insurance Cover Rehab if You Leave Early?

Insurance providers have varying policies when it comes to leaving addiction treatment early. Some providers will still cover the costs of treatment, but many will only cover the costs of the days you attended and require you to pay the rest out of pocket. 

In general, most insurance providers require you to fully complete addiction treatment or complete a specified number of days to receive coverage. Leaving treatment AMA can also affect insurance coverage of aftercare and future mental health visits, so be sure to review the services covered under your insurance policy and the penalties for leaving treatment early.  

What Happens if I Leave Rehab Early?

Healing from addiction is full of challenges, both immediate and long-term. Early on in treatment, these challenges can feel overwhelming, and you may feel a strong urge to leave and return to a more familiar environment.

It’s important to understand that this is a normal part of the healing process, and leaving treatment early can prevent you from fully recovering from addiction and living the life you deserve. 

To help you make a well-informed decision, let’s take a look at what could happen when you leave treatment early.

You Miss Out on the Full Benefits of Treatment

After spending some time in addiction treatment, you may start to feel much better as your immediate symptoms subside. This is an empowering feeling, but it can seem like completing your treatment program isn’t necessary, and you may want to leave early.

The problem is, addiction treatment is designed to help you gradually build the skills you need over the entire length of your program. Stopping your treatment program early disrupts this process and prevents you from receiving the full benefits that treatment has to offer.

Reentering Daily Life Can Become More Challenging

One of the most valuable aspects of inpatient or residential treatment is the gradual transition it provides from intensive care back into everyday life. As you progress through treatment, you’ll learn how to form healthy habits and integrate your new way of life with old routines and stressors.

Leaving early can make this adjustment feel abrupt, especially if you don’t have plans for continuing care. Without fully completing your treatment, it can be much harder to navigate the stress of daily life without falling into old habits and running the risk of relapsing.  

Rehab Aftercare May Be Less Effective

While in inpatient addiction treatment, you’ll often meet with treatment staff to create an aftercare plan. This plan helps you receive the continuing care and support you need to prevent relapses and keep developing the skills you worked on in treatment. 

Aftercare is an important step in maintaining progress after inpatient treatment, but it works best when it builds on a completed treatment experience. When someone leaves treatment early, they don’t have the foundation they need for aftercare to work as effectively as it should. 

Live Life on Your Terms

Completing your addiction treatment program will give you the support, structure, and skills you need to recover from addiction and learn how to live life on your terms. Fully healing from addiction can be a lengthy and difficult process, but you don’t have to do it alone.

If you or a loved one is considering addiction treatment, reach out today to connect with a mental health professional at Sequoia. One of our compassionate team members can help you explore your options and determine which treatment plan is the right fit.