Many people suffer from substance abuse who want help but find themselves intimidated by all of the options available. To those individuals, it is imperative to recognize that if a treatment center is worth its salt, they’ll prioritize making the process of finding the right kind of care easier for each individual.
Rehab should be about people, not insurance stipulations, and regulations. Your care should be contingent upon the factors that matter to you most.
At Ken Seeley Rehab, we believe in ushering others to sobriety and stability, no matter how long or short one’s tenure; to us, it’s about those who need help.
Deciding as to whether or not you should choose one method of treatment over the other will honestly depend on you. If you suffer from mild addiction or are transitioning from residential or intensive care, outpatient rehab might be the choice for you.
Learn more about outpatient treatment and how it can help you recover.
What is Outpatient Treatment?
On the surface, outpatient treatment is meant for those who suffer from mild cases of addiction. However, for some, this is not the case. Some have completed residential treatment and still require some level of care to help them transition from the treatment facility to the world outside of rehab.
This recovery method could last anywhere from 3 months to over a year. The length of one’s tenure all depends on their unique rehab needs. Outpatient rehab also allows patients to recover with minimal disruption to their daily lives.
As mentioned before, this is not a residential treatment option, so those who participate can reside in the comfort of their own homes while attending recovery. They are given 10-12 hours of weekly access to professional therapists and psychiatrists. This helps them learn how to adjust day to day in sobriety, but also provides the support they have learned to depend on.
What is the Difference Between Outpatient and Residential Treatment?
To many, understanding the different levels of addiction care is intimidating. Medical jargon sometimes makes discerning the difference between different rehab methods difficult. It seems as though there’s no easy way to understand it, but thankfully, it’s not that difficult to understand, nor is it difficult to explain.
For example, let’s go with the difference between outpatient treatment and residential care. Inpatient care is what is referred to when describing a method of rehab that allows patients to reside in the care of a treatment facility overnight for an extended period of weeks or months. Lasting anywhere from 28 days to six months, inpatient treatment is meant for those who suffer from severe cases of addiction and thus require more intensive attention. Monitoring patients closely and helping them truly focus on their recovery is of the utmost significance.
Outpatient treatment is much different from residential programs, and directly contrasts that of inpatient care. For example, outpatient treatment does not require patients to remain in the care of a treatment facility. Instead, these people can reside in the comfort of their own homes while having access to professional therapists and psychiatrists anywhere from 10-12 hours weekly.
However, things are not always as black and white as this. There are certain distinctions within the grey areas that have to be made. Some patients are required to complete an observation status by their doctor in which patients are carefully observed to determine as to whether or not they require additional treatment. In these circumstances, patients will stay longer than 24 hours without having been considered an inpatient care recipient.
Examples of Inpatient Treatment
Some examples of inpatient care include the following:
- Mental illness rehab
- Residential substance abuse care
- Surgery
Oftentimes, inpatient care is necessary for intense injuries that require stark attention. For these people who are unfortunate to suffer this way, it will take several hours per week consistently to treat them.
Examples of Outpatient Treatment
Some examples of outpatient treatment include the following:
- Therapy
- Annual physicals
- Blood tests
- Psychiatric evaluations
Outpatient care, as you may have inferred based upon previous explanation or the examples given above, is meant to treat cases of illness or injury that aren’t severe. This means an amount of time spent recovering that is not as intensive as 24/7 treatment. This allows patients struggling with addiction to receive the care they need with minimal disruption to their daily lives.
Is Outpatient Treatment Worth It?
The first step in pursuing sobriety is accepting the reality of one’s addiction. Once someone can accept the fact that they’re suffering, a victim of powers beyond their control, and that they need help so that they can get better, then treatment should become a consideration. Because the treatment works best individually, one’s needs must be assessed properly to move forward on their recovery journey. The question as to whether or not someone should pursue outpatient (or any kind) of treatment, they should first consider their needs as far as care is concerned.
When Enough Is Enough
For someone who struggles from substance abuse, the following symptoms are often common:
- Drinking in objectively high volumes
- Using unnecessary medication
- Drastic behavioral changes
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Sleeping problems
- Secrecy
For those who are suffering from substance use disorder, being self-aware is critical when it comes to putting a halt to addiction. Usually, those who suffer from any sort of illness, addiction or not, are never completely aware of the impact it is having on them and those around them.
Conversely, those around them sometimes put blinders on so that they don’t have to call the symptoms for what they are: a problem. Fear is the enemy of progress; calling substance abuse what it is maybe frightening, but it is essential for those who need help.
Some symptoms of addiction are much more obvious than others. There are many ways that one can tell whether or not a loved one may be dealing with a substance use disorder.
Regardless of how you can tell, it is of utmost significance that those who care for an addicted person are ready at a moment’s notice to speak love, exhibit understanding and be brave enough to speak up against the addiction. This is so vital because the sooner an illness is identified and treated, the better chance someone has at recovering successfully.
What to Do When Enough Is Enough: How do I Schedule an Intervention?
Interventions are meetings in which those who care for an individual plan out a conversation that aims to communicate the effects of one’s substance abuse. These are an important part of recovering. Being that these are planned conversations, strategy is everything. Planning is imperative to successful rehab.
When done correctly, interventions help bring to light the impact of a user’s addiction clearly and effectively. Addiction is a disease that makes you feel trapped. Sometimes, it feels as though there is nothing anybody can even do. It’s insane how much hope can seem lost, but nobody is ever too far gone. Even bringing an issue to someone’s attention is enough to help them along; progress is progress.
If you’re thinking of preparing an intervention for your loved one, it may be the best decision you make in regards to what you can do for them. Everything else is up to them, but don’t ever mistake that for a lost cause. Influence is greater than most people give it credit for. All anybody can ever do is their best for someone else. There are some decisions they are going to have to make themselves.
All of this being said, interventions are not a piece of cake. Reach out to those around you who either share a love for you or the subject of the potential intervention. There are a plethora of uncomfortable, inevitably awkward conversations to be had. However, whether or not it is comfortable is not the question, but rather whether or not it will be successful.
Today Is The Best Day to Start at Ken Seeley Rehab
For those who are suffering from substance use disorder, it is easy to feel alone. This, however, is the exact opposite of the truth. There is a whole team here at Ken Seeley Rehab that is willing to go to bat for their patients day in and day out; our patients, no matter their background, are our priority.
Outpatient rehab may be a treatment option worth considering at Ken Seeley, but regardless of what kind of individualized care you need, we’ve got you covered. Every patient who walks through our doors deserves a life of sobriety and stability. Our goal is to provide them with the best care available so that they might recover to their full potential. If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction and want to learn more about our outpatient or any other programs, you can contact us here.
References
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nationwide-trends
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2790/ShortReport-2790.html
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-illicit.htm
https://www.verywellmind.com/rates-of-illicit-drug-abuse-in-the-us-67027
https://www.sgu.edu/blog/medical/inpatient-versus-outpatient/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152944/