Tag: Rehab

Addiction is a chronic disease that can take over a person’s life and wreak havoc, and the road to recovery is complex. Each person responds differently to treatment, and there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. Often, someone who succeeds in getting sober takes multiple approaches and attends some form of care on an ongoing basis. Substance use disorders are chronic illnesses, so there isn’t a finite cure. Abstinence needs to be cultivated long term, and outpatient rehab can be a great start, as well as being necessary for maintenance.

What Is Outpatient Rehab?

When you attend an outpatient treatment program, you attend a clinic at set times throughout the week and go back home after each one. You regularly check in with your counselors for therapy and medication while being given the freedom to continue with work or education and stay with your family. Often, the content of the program is similar to what you’d experience in residential rehab but without the restrictions.

You and a medical expert decide the intensity of the program you attend. General outpatient care usually involves attending a treatment center once or twice a week for group therapy, and sometimes individual substance use counseling, too. During an intensive outpatient program, you attend the clinic on a more regular basis, attending group and individual therapy. If you’re on a course of medication, this can be administered and overseen by a professional on any type of outpatient care plan.

The Benefits of an Outpatient Treatment Program

• If you’re part of a family that supports your recovery, staying with them could be the most effective option for your recovery. Support from your loved ones is hugely encouraging, and for some people, being away from them can be detrimental.
• Once you’ve finished treatment in a residential setting, it’s a good idea to step down to outpatient rehab and continue attending group and/or individual therapy indefinitely.
• People with a young family or sole responsibility of a dependent might not be willing or able to leave them. In this case, you can attend treatment while staying close to the people who need you most.
• In many cases, addiction has taken hold but hasn’t reached the point where you’ve stopped attending work or school. If you still have responsibilities you need to take care of, outpatient rehab is a perfect choice.
• For some individuals, the idea of being in a rigid inpatient environment is off-putting. Outpatient rehab gives you a level of autonomy while still providing the structure you need to recover.
• Outpatient rehab is a more affordable option compared to a residential treatment center. A lot of the time, insurance covers a large percentage of the costs.
• After attending therapy, you can go back to your family, friends and home life and apply what you’ve learned to your everyday life. In an inpatient setting, the step back into daily experiences can be daunting.

Outpatient Addiction Treatment in Ohio

Making the decision to begin treatment for addiction isn’t an easy one. If you have any questions or want to speak to an expert about what you’re going through, call On Demand Counseling today at 330-270-8610.

While inpatient treatment is usually the best course of action for people who need to go through detox for a severe substance use disorder, outpatient rehab is ideal for everyone else. It’s also the perfect option for individuals who have completed a residential rehab program and are ready to take a step down. When you don’t live in a clinical setting, your family and social life aren’t restricted; you can attend treatment around work or school and bring what you learn to daily life with immediate effect. One of the other significant benefits of outpatient rehab is its affordability.

1. Apply What You Learn to Your Daily Life

In an inpatient setting, every moment you’re awake is structured and rigid — which can be hugely helpful for people who have been struggling with the chaos that addiction can bring into their lives. However, spending time in this type of environment can be incredibly challenging to break away from. Maintaining sobriety in such a strict setting is entirely different from living a life of freedom in the outside world.

With an outpatient program, you attend counseling sessions and support groups and gain an education that you are then free to go home and practice in real time. There’s no transition period between treatment and normal life; you integrate your lessons as you go.

2. Stay Close to Your Loved Ones

If you have a loving family, close friends and a healthy home environment, leaving that for residential rehab could be detrimental rather than beneficial. Your support network is your best friend during recovery, so staying in a safe place and keeping up your family duties is a great idea. When you come home from treatment, you can discuss what you’ve learned with your spouse or friends and educate them on the best ways to help you. It also means you can celebrate your successes and build your self-esteem as you show your loved ones your progress.

3. Organize Treatment Around Your Schedule

When an outpatient facility provides evening, daytime and weekend sessions, you can schedule your rehabilitation around your responsibilities. Leaves of absence are generally protected under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which dictates that you can’t lose your job as a result of seeking medical attention such as rehab. However, that often means sharing your situation with your employers. Although no one should feel any shame about addiction — and especially for seeking help for addiction — you have a right to privacy.

If you’re the provider for your family, you might not be in a position to take a leave of absence. You might be responsible for the care of a dependent, and outpatient treatment gives you the medical help you need while leaving you free to fulfill your daily duties.

The first step on the journey to recovery is reaching out and seeking the information you need to get help. Call one of our advisors today at 330-270-8610 to find out more about how On Demand Counseling can give you the tools you need to get sober and stay sober.

Outpatient treatment has a multitude of benefits and is imperative to many individuals who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. For people who have realized that they have a problem before it’s progressed to a severe stage, it can even be the ideal first step on the journey to recovery.

If you’ve been through inpatient rehab, you might be feeling proud that you’ve successfully completed your substance abuse treatment program. While you should celebrate your achievement, don’t mistake your accomplishment as a cure for drug addiction. Substance use disorders are chronic diseases, and maintaining sobriety is an ongoing process. A step-down from residential inpatient treatment to an intensive treatment plan to general outpatient is one of the most effective methods of recovery from drug use for many individuals.

What’s the Difference Between General Outpatient and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)?

During intensive outpatient treatment, you spend up to four days a week in a rehab treatment facility for up to three hours at a time. Your schedule will include a combination of individual therapy sessions and group therapy, according to your unique needs. With medication assisted treatment, if you’re taking a course of detoxification medication, the detox medical care staff will administer this and monitor your progress. Intensive outpatient care usually lasts anywhere from a month to six months, according to your drug addiction treatment progress and how you feel.

What is an Outpatient Addiction Treatment Center?

Outpatient addiction rehab is a continuation of intensive outpatient drug rehab or residential programs. They can also be utilized for someone who is on the road to recovery but has suffered a minor setback in the form of relapse. If you’re suffering from a mild substance use disorder, general outpatient care treatment options could be an effective first step on your recovery journey.

How Long Should You Attend Outpatient Treatment?

A general outpatient treatment program is something you should make a judgment call about how long to continue. Most of the people who succeed in maintaining abstinence on a long-term basis tend to attend an outpatient rehab program for a long time, whether it’s 12-step meetings, process groups or community support groups. Listening to what other people have been through can be a huge motivational factor in staying sober, plus you may form lifelong bonds with people who have the same intentions as you.

Once you’ve been in drug and alcohol rehab recovery for more than a year, going to an aftercare support group begins to take on a new dimension. As you meet new members of the support system group, you are setting the example of someone who has shown the strength to maintain sobriety. This sense of responsibility often boosts self-esteem and gives you an incredible sense of achievement and fulfillment.

Do I Need Individual Therapy Once My Addiction Treatment Program Is Finished?

You and the addiction counselors you work with can decide how long you continue with individual therapy. If you have an underlying mental health condition, it may be a good idea for you to continue behavioral therapy with a mental health service plan for a year or more, depending on the severity of your co-occurring disorder. If your treatment provider is satisfied that you’ve gained the level of care necessary through individual counseling to maintain sobriety while managing your mental health, they’ll let you know.

For more information about how outpatient drug and alcohol treatment can help you to overcome the obstacles that have kept you tied down to addiction, call On Demand Counseling today at 330-270-8610.