When deciding which addiction rehabilitation treatment is going to be the most suitable for you, it’s necessary to note that no two person’s needs are the same. It’s best to do your research while taking your specific needs into account and start weighing the options sooner than later. An effective form of addiction treatment that could be useful for one person could end up causing harm to someone else.
The primary reason behind this is that the factors that contribute to the cycle of addiction vary widely from person to person. A person’s mental and physical health, medical history, home environment, and severity of addiction are some of those factors that must be looked at before a treatment strategy can be mapped out.
For a majority of people with this chronic, destructive disease, the most effective way to recover from substance abuse is to take a break from their daily lives to enter a professional treatment facility where they’ll receive around-the-clock care. This involves living on-site in an inpatient or long-term residential treatment program. This will allow the individual to focus solely on their recovery while removing triggers and temptation from immediate reach in their lives. While this is necessary for some, it isn’t going to work for all.
Someone who is healthy and lives in a stable home environment, and has a support system they can rely on is more likely to find outpatient treatment to be more suitable for their situation. Support is a significant part of the rehab process, and if there is a great support system behind them outside of a treatment center, this will be a more comfortable means to get and remain sober. Outpatient treatment is often a good fit for people who are in the early stages of their addiction and those who are in the mild stages of it.
When taking the step to enter into an outpatient addiction recovery program, you will be able to resume normal daily activities. Whether you’re a student or working professional, you can regularly visit a treatment center or outpatient clinic for detox services, counseling, and more. This is a popular choice for people who can’t delay activities and personal obligations.
What is Outpatient Treatment?
Outpatient treatment varies in the types and intensities offered, but is defined as addiction rehabilitation treatment that doesn’t require someone to live on-site at a treatment center. Outpatient clients reside at their homes or in transitional housing while making consistent appointments at clinics or other medical facilities for detox and medical check-ins. The person in need is also responsible for attending therapy sessions several days a week at various times depending on the intensity of their outpatient care.
If there were a ranking between the spectrums of care, long-term residential treatment where the individual would live onsite from 90 days to a year would be on one end, and a 12-step program or any other type of counseling would be on the other. Outpatient treatment would be placed directly in between these two ends of the spectrum.
When attending outpatient addiction treatment, you will receive the same exceptional care you’d expect from an inpatient or residential program with experienced medical professionals and clinicians to help you. The primary difference is that instead of living on-site with other recovering users, you have the luxury of returning home or another place where you live.
What are the Types of Outpatient Programs?
There are a set of subtypes for outpatient rehab that provide varying levels of care for those in recovery. Not all who seek treatment will have as severe of problems as others requiring inpatient care, but there could be potential co-occurring disorders that require a more intense treatment selection than a basic outpatient program can offer.
While the difference in choices gives clients the ability to return home after their sessions, their symptoms will determine their frequency of visits per week. There are three main types of outpatient treatment:
General Outpatient Treatment
This is the most basic form of outpatient addiction treatment. While the specific program that is given to the user will depend on their specific needs, it is less structured compared to other programs within this subsection. The person in question can expect some counseling, medical check-ins, and educational workshops that require the minimum amount of hours per week.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP)
This is an in-depth treatment program that involves a much more intense level of care. IOP has been shown to benefit people with a history of relapse or those who need extra support. In this case of an IOP placement, a medical professional has given the green light for IOP to people who don’t need around-the-clock care. A person in intensive outpatient treatment can expect to make at the very least three appointments per week for about two- to four hour-long sessions.
Partial Hospitalization Treatment (PHP)
Partial hospitalization treatment, also known as PHP, is the most intensive level of care when it comes to an outpatient addiction recovery program. PHP has been found to be as highly effective for anyone with a major medical concern that requires observation but does not need a hospital stay. PHP is offered at a hospital, and usually involves around three to five appointments per week with sessions that last between four to six hours.
The overall stay of the program can depend on some of the factors discussed above, but on average, it runs no less than one month and no longer than three months. This can vary, depending on the individual’s needs, but this is a rarer scenario. Long-term outpatient treatment is a scenario in which treatment can last longer than three months, but as discussed above is a rare phenomenon. This is a strong indicator that the person would have more success in an inpatient environment for prolonged success.
Outpatient Treatment Services
Many people who need rehab believe they can access the best quality of services only by selecting inpatient or long-term residential treatment. This is on the contrary, however, as the quality of services will not be any different based on what stage the person is in during treatment.
This has been the case in the past, but now the same resources one would expect to find while living on-site are available on an outpatient basis. The sole difference between the two is the ability to go home once therapy is completed.
If the person has a safe environment that harbors the resources to help maintain their sobriety, and they have aren’t as deeply rooted in their addiction, this will serve as the better option.
Outpatient clients still receive the same coping tools and techniques that would be acquired in an inpatient or long-term residential setting.
These will be implemented during sessions to be practiced in your everyday life.
Some of the services provided by the outpatient treatment program include:
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Detoxification treatment
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Motivational interviewing
- Education workshops
- Stress management
- Relapse prevention planning
What are the Benefits of Outpatient Treatment?
With the advancements in pharmacology, medicine, and the funding for additional addiction recovery research, outpatient treatment has demonstrated it can provide the same level of care one would find in an inpatient treatment center.
In some cases, outpatient rehab can be an even more efficient means addiction treatment for those with a less severe substance use disorder. It can never match an inpatient experience for someone who needs to be completely removed from their triggers, but for someone not requiring that level of care can be just as useful. Below are some benefits associated with an outpatient treatment center:
- The cost of outpatient versus a long-term residential or inpatient program is significantly less in that it provides the same types of therapies. In many cases, the cost of treatment is a significant factor in why someone avoids getting help. Another beam of hope for those needing help is that outpatient is more likely to be covered by an insurance policy over an inpatient program.
- This allows the client to put what they’ve learned in treatment into action immediately. This is different because they won’t have a security blanket, and they can find out quickly what works or what doesn’t and report back to their therapists to help utilize different solutions.
- Those who are in the middle of a semester or are employed can check into rehab without jeopardizing their livelihood. This has been known to be a major obstacle in getting someone help.
- Offering flexible scheduling for sessions so that the individual in question can schedule appointments around their engagements. This allows them to have a sense of privacy and not feel disconnected from their lives. Unfortunately, there is a social stigma attached to substance use, and this allows for a more discreet healing session.
