Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Rehab
A substance use disorder hurts your personal relationships, health, and career. The great news is that you can overcome addiction and turn your life around with treatment designed to address this complex, chronic problem.
The two main types of addiction treatment are inpatient and outpatient programs. An outpatient treatment program, which is a program that doesn’t require overnight stays, is an excellent choice if you don’t need intensive care and are dedicated to working on your recovery. It’s also a perfect option for people who have already gone through the acute detox phase. If you’re considering treatment for a drug or alcohol use disorder, outpatient rehab could be just what you need to achieve sobriety and maintain it.
Types of Outpatient Rehab
Several types of outpatient drug and alcohol rehab are available. You might only need one type, or you might transition through several, such as moving from partial hospitalization to a standard outpatient program. It’s also possible that you’ll start at a less intensive level but need to move into more intensive support if your needs change. Here are four of the main types of outpatient treatment programs:
Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs)
This type of rehabilitation is also known as Day Treatment. It’s the most structured outpatient option, and it includes the highest level of care outside of inpatient treatment. PHP participants agree to meet at an outpatient facility, not necessarily a hospital, five to seven days each week for several hours each day. After their day’s session, clients return to their homes. This is an excellent treatment option for those who need mental health treatment as well as help with overcoming addiction.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs)
Clients typically receive treatment three times per week with IOP programs. In most cases, each session lasts about two to three hours and is led by nonmedical staff members. For someone who has completed inpatient treatment or PHP treatment, this option can provide the ongoing support they need to stay sober.
Standard outpatient programs (OPs)
This type of program usually meets about one to two times per week for one to two hours at a time. It’s considered the least intensive treatment.
Sober Living Homes
This treatment modality uses a sober-home setting combined with an intensive outpatient program at a nearby facility. People in the Florida model of recovery live together, pay rent and hold part-time jobs along with participating in therapy and other treatment sessions. These are affordable alternatives to traditional inpatient rehab centers. While it’s called the Florida model because it’s a standard rehab model in that state, this type of rehab also exists in other states.
Benefits of Outpatient Rehab
Outpatient rehab is a logical follow-up to inpatient treatment, but not everyone needs the intensity of an inpatient program, and many start their recovery in an outpatient setting. Outpatient treatment has several benefits, like:
Flexibility
Outpatient rehab can work around your schedule. Depending on the facility, you could find sessions that meet in the daytime or evening, giving you the freedom to keep up with work, school, or family.
Affordability
It costs less to attend outpatient rehab than inpatient programs
Effectiveness
Outpatient treatment programs effectively treat mild to moderate substance use disorders.
What to Expect From Outpatient Rehab
A course of outpatient treatment can last a week, a month, several months, or even years. It all depends on the level of support you need to maintain your sobriety. Treatment consists of therapy, access to medical care, mental health counseling, and possibly treatment with medications, such as naltrexone.
When you first begin an outpatient treatment program, a counselor or case manager will gather information about your issues and goals and tailor treatment accordingly. Many types of therapy are available. Your treatment could consist of:
Group counseling
To help clients develop communication and socialization skills in a sober setting. It also provides support and feedback from people who know what you’re going through in recovery. Stress management, conflict resolution, and assertiveness training are some possible focuses of group therapy.
Individual counseling
Is typically not the primary form of treatment for substance use disorder, but it’s helpful in exploring the reasons behind your addiction in a one-on-one setting. Clients with co-occurring mental disorders typically benefit from individual therapy.
Family therapy
Helps clients reconnect with their family members and begin to repair the harm their addiction has caused. This helps to provide a strong foundation for recovery.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Helps you learn to examine your thoughts, emotions, and actions and how they relate to substance abuse. It teaches skills that help you prevent relapse, like coping with cravings or identifying and diffusing triggers.
Medication management
Research shows that medication is an effective treatment for alcohol and opioid addiction. Attending frequent OT sessions allows you to give feedback on your symptoms and how well the medication is working for you. It can also help provide you with support for compliance with taking your prescribed medication.
Monitoring substance use
Also known as managing contingencies, is a part of many outpatient rehabilitation programs. You might be expected to take routine drug tests, or the program could rely on self-reporting. This helps provide accountability to help you stay on track or get additional support if you relapse. Its purpose is positive reinforcement of abstinence, not punishment for slip-ups.
Organized recreational activities
Like yoga, strength training, dancing, painting, or walking.
Meditation classes
Teaching alternative methods of stress reduction.
What If You Need Help Outside of Your Scheduled Sessions?
If you need support outside the times of your outpatient settings, you can get it. Most programs provide 24/7 hotline services for after-hours calls. Some intensive programs have on-call clinicians. Outpatient treatment programs typically encourage participation in local 12-step programs or similar recovery support groups, and so you’ll have yet another source of support with those.
Is Outpatient Rehab Right for You?
Consider a few factors when you’re deciding which type of drug or alcohol rehab is right for you. Good candidates for outpatient treatment programs typically share these characteristics:
- In the early stages of addiction
- Needs to attend to work, school, or family obligations
- Has already completed detox
- Needs continued support to avoid relapse
- Is reasonably mentally and emotionally stable
- Is committed to recovery
- Has a home environment that doesn’t trigger cravings
You probably need inpatient treatment if you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, don’t have a stable home environment, or are in need of acute detoxification.
The Best Outpatient Treatment Program for You
Are you struggling with dependency and want to get sober? Whether you use opiates, stimulants, alcohol, or another substance, help is within your reach. There are so many outpatient programs in the Long Island, Queens, and Staten Island areas. Here at Long Island Interventions, our interventionists have years of experiencing in helping addicts and alcoholics take the first step in entering an outpatient rehab. Give us a call to learn more!
Outpatient programs are not directly offered by Long Island Interventions. However, we do recognize that this type of addiction treatment is often necessary and vital to one’s long-term recovery from substance abuse. If you or a loved one require any services that we do not offer, we would be glad to refer you to one of our trusted affiliate providers.