What is Outpatient Drug Treatment?
Outpatient drug treatment is a popular option for addressing drug addiction. Outpatient treatment offers flexibility by allowing you to continue living at home while still being treated – with varying degrees of intensity – for your addiction. It also helps keep you accountable to yourself and to your addiction recovery. In this way, it’s a useful alternative to inpatient rehabilitation programs. When you’re enrolled in an outpatient program, you’re free to attend to your work, school, and family obligations, but you’re still accountable to your program and able to focus on your recovery.
Outpatient drug treatment helps you learn about substance use, develop skills for maintaining clean and sober time, and come up with coping strategies for daily life. It also teaches you to identify triggers and find communities of support, including 12-step programs. Some outpatient programs involve daily sessions initially, with meeting time lessening as you continue along your path.
For these reasons and more, outpatient drug treatment can be a good option if you’re looking to address your addiction. That said, it tends to work best for people with milder cases and who have a fairly stable home life. For more severe cases of substance use disorder, an inpatient stay may be the better option.
What Are the Types of Outpatient Drug Treatment?
If you’re considering outpatient drug treatment, you’ll want to know about the types of treatment available to you. Let’s take a look at some popular options.
Day Programs
Day programs are a good option if you would benefit from intensive care during the day. These are sometimes known as partial hospitalization programs. They typically consist of therapy, group sessions, and other recovery-related education and activities. At the end of the day’s session, you go home. Day programs are an intensive form of outpatient treatment and might be your best bet if your addiction is getting severe.
Intensive Outpatient Programs
Intensive outpatient programs, also known as IOPs, are more flexible than intensive day programs. They offer meeting times during the day or evening, allowing you to find times that accommodate your schedule. IOPs are especially helpful for people who have a stable support system at home. In IOPs, you meet with professionals, develop recovery strategies, and return home. You also learn ways to prevent relapse and manage the stresses of daily life.
Continuing Care
Continuing care groups are a proven method for sustaining recovery over the long haul, and can remain part of your life well past the end of your rehab treatment. Ongoing support groups – including 12-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous and other groups like SMART Recovery – provide accountability, mutual support, and a loving, supportive environment.
The availability of such groups can depend on where you live, but most locales have their share of mutual aid fellowships and support groups. If you struggle to find one, there are online options available, as well. 12-step meetings are the easiest to find, with chapters all across the country. Every day, members of 12-step fellowships gather to share their experiences and support each other on the path of recovery.
What Kind of Therapy Do You Do With Outpatient Drug Treatment?
Outpatient drug treatment typically consists of some form of therapy, and different rehabs offer different treatment models. Let’s consider some common therapeutic models.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that helps participants address negative thought patterns that lead to negative or harmful behaviors, including addiction. Professionals help you change these negative thoughts and develop healthy coping mechanisms, thus enabling you to handle daily life and avoid relapse.
The Matrix Model
The Matrix Model is a structured, evidence-based program that combines individual therapy and group counseling, and family involvement. It was designed specifically for stimulant addiction, and some of its hallmarks include skills development, incentives and rewards, positive reinforcement, and peer support, including 12-step fellowships.
Contingency Management
Contingency management (CM) is a therapeutic approach that incentivizes positive behaviors, including passing drug tests, attending therapy, and taking medication. Incentives can include small financial rewards, vouchers, or special privileges within the rehab. CM is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis, but can also employ a CBT framework.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
MET is all about increasing participants’ motivation to change. This is done by working with the participant to identify goals and values. This therapy is especially well suited to people who might be ambivalent about getting help. By identifying goals and values, a trained professional can help motivate the participant to make changes that align with those goals and values.
Family Therapy
Family therapy recognizes how addiction affects the whole family. It helps to repair relationships between family members while fostering a supportive environment for the person in recovery.
How Long Does Outpatient Drug Treatment Last?
The length of outpatient treatment varies depending on your level of need and progress. Some programs are just a few weeks long, while others can last for months or years. It’s important to find an option that works for you and serves your longer-term recovery goals.
The length of your outpatient treatment depends on your circumstances, the type of treatment required, the severity of the problem, and more. Some programs are relatively short, no more than a week or two. Others last months, and others can last up to a year. It all depends on your particular situation. The important thing to consider is whether you’re taking the time to adequately address the problem.
Recovery is a lifelong journey, and if you take it seriously, you may very well be embarking on the best years of your life. The trained professionals at the outpatient center will help you figure out the best approach for your circumstances and then help you through therapy, skill-building, and the development of relapse prevention strategies.
What Are the Benefits of Outpatient Drug Treatment?
While outpatient drug treatment isn’t for everyone, there are some clear and important benefits to consider, including:
- Cost: Outpatient is typically less expensive than inpatient treatment
- Flexibility: Participants can balance daily life with treatment
- Proximity to home: Participants stay close to their support system
- Support: Participants enjoy structured support, enabling them to rebuild their lives
- Community Integration: Participants can apply the skills they’ve learned to real-life situations in the community
How Much Is Outpatient Drug Treatment?
Cost is always an important consideration when you’re deciding whether to pursue treatment. Outpatient drug treatment typically costs less than other, more intensive forms of treatment, such as extended inpatient rehab stays. Nevertheless, the cost of outpatient care can be significant. Talk with your insurance provider and review program types, locations, and whether the centers you’re exploring offer sliding scale fees. Some drug treatment programs also benefit from funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
What Are Alternatives to Outpatient Drug Treatment?
If outpatient treatment isn’t right for you, there are alternatives you may want to explore.
Do It Yourself/Build Your Own Team
If you pursue your recovery with focus and intentionality, you can build your team of support. Find a therapist that works for you, join a recovery group, and avail yourself of self-help resources.
Telehealth
Telehealth is a popular option these days, offering remote therapy, counseling, and support groups. This is an especially good option for those living in remote areas or with limited mobility.
In-Home Addiction Treatment (IHAT)
Aware Recovery Care offers an In-Home Addiction Treatment (IHAT) program, which allows you to stay home while all treatment comes to you. IHAT employs the best technologies and evidence-based treatments to help you along your path of recovery, while risk and disruptions are minimized. The IHAT approach is all about flexible addiction therapy. This option allows you to start your recovery in your way on your own terms.
