One of the most important decisions you will make on your road to sobriety is determining if a residential rehab program or outpatient care is right for you. Both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs focus on rehabilitation. However, each program has unique benefits to offer you.
What to Expect from Outpatient Treatment
The biggest difference between inpatient and outpatient programs is that people who go through outpatient treatment programs are not in a facility receiving 24-hour care. Instead, they are in a sober living home or in their own home as they go through treatment.
A person in an outpatient program can still go to work, enjoy family activities, and go to school while enrolled in a recovery program.
Outpatient treatment is offered in a broad range of intensities. Varieties in program types allow you to tailor your treatment to meet your needs. Some people do better blending several treatment options simultaneously. A common misconception about outpatient programs is that they are not as effective as inpatient ones. The effectiveness of the program depends on how well it meets your needs. If you find the right program for your needs, an intensive outpatient program can have the same outcome as a residential or inpatient program. The following are some of the things you should expect from outpatient rehabilitation and care.
Individual Psychotherapy
Therapy can treat a broad range of issues related to substance use disorder. Working with therapists can help you change your lifestyle, learn how to process your emotions, and address self-defeating behaviors and thoughts.
Family Counseling
The family counseling aspect of inpatient therapy can help families work with a loved one with a substance use issue. It can address underlying family dynamics that lead to addiction and educate all family members about mental health and addiction.
Group Counseling
Some outpatient treatments offer group counseling. This is where several people with similar issues get together and offer support and insight. This is important for individuals going through recovery as it can give them a sense that they are not alone.
Support groups are not therapy. However, a group environment offers support, guidance, and fellowship. As opposed to providing clinical assistance, this facet of outpatient care allows individuals recovering from substance abuse to interact with people facing similar challenges.
Detox
Enrolling in an inpatient program is not always possible for a person going through detox. Outpatient detox programs provide support through addiction clinics or doctors to monitor the detox process. The goal is to allow a person to have the freedom of going home or going to work while at the same time ensuring that through the use of medications and other treatments the detox process is carried out safely.
Options for Inpatient Treatment
Inpatient treatment includes many of the above-mentioned options of outpatient treatment. The only difference is that everything is under one roof. The length of treatment will vary based on your needs and the speed of your recovery.
Inpatient treatment can be beneficial to help a person get through the challenges associated with detox. Detoxing from drugs like heroin can be extremely dangerous and painful. An inpatient detox program gives you support and monitoring from trained medical personnel to help make the detox and withdrawal process much easier.
Short-term inpatient treatment can last from a few weeks to a few months. This intense treatment aims to help stabilize you and give you the skills you need to function on your own. Long-term treatment can last for a year or more. These recovery programs are designed to help you master a variety of skills to help you successfully transition from residential treatment back to your normal life.
How Can You Know What Program Is Suitable for Your Needs?
There is no single treatment option that is going to work for everyone. A person with mental health issues and substance use issues may need multiple strategies. For example, a person battling opioid abuse may need a short-term inpatient detox program. From there, an intensive outpatient counseling program coupled with support group meetings will be what they need to stay sober.
Are you looking for a program suitable for you or a family member? We can help you by being a resource you can turn to to get the information you need. Call us today at 833.970.2054 to learn more.
