Why Outpatient Rehab Might Be the Best Choice for Your Addiction Treatment

You’ve made a serious life decision. You’re going to go get addiction treatment. When you’re looking around for a center, you’ll see the words inpatient and outpatient care thrown around.

For many people, outpatient rehab is the way to go. It’s a lot cheaper than inpatient care, which makes it more accessible to low-income individuals.

You can also continue going to work in between sessions. It’s a care method that meshes with your schedule.

This is only the beginning of the benefits. Check out this guide to learn more about what outpatient care is and find out if it’s right for you.

What Is Outpatient Rehab? 

Before we talk about the benefits of outpatient alcohol rehab, let’s discuss what it is. It’s a treatment method that allows you to attend sessions during the day and go home at night. It’s the opposite of inpatient rehab that keeps you in a facility 24/7.

It involves deep therapy sessions where you discuss your triggers and learn how to cope with them in a healthy manner. Being in a group like this gives people the social interaction they need to heal.

Sessions can go on 5 days a week, or they might be spread across three days. In some cases, you’ll only attend treatment 1-2 days a week. It all depends on what your needs are.

Types of Outpatient Rehab

There are three types of outpatient drug rehab programs that you can enroll in. The one you attend is going to be based on what stage you are in your recovery process.

Day Programs

Day programs are the most involved program that you can enter into. You will go to sessions 5-6 days a week. Here you’ll attend group counseling and other art or music-based therapies.

When you’re finished with the sessions, you can return home. Since you’ll be spending most of the day in therapy, it can be hard to work employment around it, but it’s not impossible.

Continuing Care

A good example of continuing care is AA. It’s a group that meets once a week that helps keep everyone on the path to sobriety. These sessions are usually led by a trained therapist.

You can find specific groups. For example, if you would feel more comfortable being in a group of people that are the same age as you, there’s a continuing care program for that.

Intensive Outpatient Care

If you have a strict work schedule or have other responsibilities that you have to attend to during the day, don’t worry. That doesn’t mean you can’t attend a care program.

An intensive outpatient program involves setting a treatment milestone that you have to reach each week. As you go through the program, the time commitment decreases.

You’ll still have to attend a few therapy sessions each week to monitor your progress, but you won’t have to spend quite as much time away from home.

Benefits of Outpatient Programs

Now that you know more about what outpatient programs entail, it’s time to learn about how they can help you. They’re more flexible than inpatient care and you’ll find that they’re easier on the wallet as well.

They Work Around Your Schedule 

The main benefit of outpatient drug rehab is that the programs work around your schedule. You’ll have complete control over your substance abuse treatment program. You get to choose when you go and even who you work with.

This makes it more obtainable than inpatient care. This type of treatment requires the patient to stay at the facility 24 hours a day. The lack of choice isn’t for everyone.

You Can Maintain Employment 

It’s unfortunate, but your responsibilities don’t stop because you need treatment. You still have to pay your bills and take care of your family. You can’t do that if you’re in an inpatient program because you won’t be able to work.

This stress is enough to put a strain on relationships and put a person right back into the arms of their addiction. Since outpatient programs give you more schedule flexibility, you’ll be able to maintain your job and get the treatment that you need at the same time.

It’s More Affordable 

The number one thing that prevents people from getting treatment is the cost. Inpatient care is expensive due to the fact that you’ll be staying in the facility. That involves counseling, medications, food, and more.

Outpatient programs still cost money, but since you’ll be staying at home, for the most part, it costs less. This makes it far more accessible to those on a limited income.

You’ll Build on What You Learned in Inpatient Therapy 

If you choose to go through an inpatient care program, you’ll learn how to recognize your triggers and cope with them in healthy ways. For some, it’s hard to apply this information after treatment.

In fact, many people who don’t enter an aftercare program of some kind end up right back where they started. That’s what outpatient care is for. Attending sessions will allow you to take what you learned in your inpatient sessions and build on it.

Outpatient Rehab Might Be for You 

If you’re on a fixed income or you have a lot of daily responsibilities that won’t allow you to stay at a facility 24 hours a day, outpatient rehab might be for you. It allows for a lot of freedom, which makes it much more accessible to everyone.

It can also act as a good aftercare program for those who have already gone through inpatient treatment. As you can see, no matter what stage you are in your recovery, there’s an outpatient program for you. If you’re looking for more treatment options that will help you on your path toward sobriety, visit the Health section of our blog.