Preparing for Outpatient Treatment

If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, it is of crucial importance that you enroll for addiction treatment. This could either be in the form of inpatient or outpatient treatment.

In case you have chosen outpatient treatment, there are some things that you would typically be required to do in preparation for your ongoing recovery and rehabilitation services. Read on to find out more:

Understanding Outpatient Treatment

Also known as outpatient rehab, outpatient treatment is a type of addiction recovery service that will provide you with highly personalized rehabilitation plans to allow you to understand your addiction and eventually overcome it. This type of treatment would be offered on an outpatient basis. As a result, you will only have to check at the rehab center for a few hours every week before going back to your home or to a sober/transitional living facility.

Outpatient treatment is unlike inpatient or residential treatment in the sense that it offers a more flexible option. This means that it will allow you to continue working, attending school, and meeting your other obligations at home once you are done with your treatment sessions.

The fact that you will have less constricting and shorter time restraints effectively means that you can continue seeking help for your substance use disorder and any other co-occurring disorders without the treatment interfering with your personal or professional schedule.

Benefits of Outpatient Treatment

Although inpatient addiction treatment might be recommended by most recovery specialists, there are some situations in which outpatient treatment would be the more preferred form of treatment.

Apart from allowing you to maintain more of your regular daily schedule, outpatient treatment can also ensure that you enjoy the following additional benefits:

a) Ongoing Support

For starters, enrolling in an outpatient treatment program effectively means that you will still be in close proximity with your support network - comprised of friends, family, and other loved ones. As you continue seeking treatment for your substance abuse, this support network could ensure that you do not relapse whenever you are not in the treatment program.

b) Affordability

In the same way, outpatient treatment will often end up costing you much less than you would have been required to pay if you were enrolled in a residential or inpatient treatment program. What is more, it can provide you with the same level of care and attention that you would typically find in a regular inpatient facility.

Further, many insurance companies will agree to cover the cost of outpatient treatment - which could make it much easier for you to seek rehabilitation services from such a program.

c) Confidentiality

Most outpatient treatment programs are highly confidential and secretive. This effectively means that you can continue seeking help for your addiction outside of regular working hours without anyone finding out that you are getting this type of help. As a result, it would reduce your need to explain any time that you take away from your regular responsibilities.

d) Flexibility

Finally, outpatient treatment programs tend to be highly flexible. The treatment program would be formatted around your schedule. This effectively means that you can check into the facility whenever you are free - such as after work/school, over the weekends, in the mornings, and so on.

This would be an ideal arrangement if you have other responsibilities and obligations that you have to continue meeting even as you keep on working towards your full sobriety and recovery.

What to Expect from Outpatient Treatment

When you choose outpatient treatment, you will typically be required to engage in several counseling and therapy sessions every week. This form of treatment is ideal if you already have a stable support system, the internal motivation to recover from addiction, and a reliable and drug-free environment at home.

These programs can also provide you with a comprehensive approach in your addiction treatment and recovery. Often, they will offer the following types of services:

• DUI education and evaluation
• Family counseling
• Family education
• Group counseling
• Individual therapy
• Medication-Assisted Treatment Programs, which could help you eliminate or reduce your withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings
• Ongoing education and support
• Relapse prevention
• Substance abuse education
• Treatment for any underlying mental health and medical disorders

In the long term, outpatient treatment will ensure that you have highly individualized and personalized recovery programs. This way, they will format your treatment to meet your specific needs and preferences.

As long as you are able to choose an outpatient treatment program that is aligned with your needs, you should be able to get started on the road to recovery after a period of substance abuse and addiction.

CITATIONS

https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1006&context=behavioral-pubs

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/drug-addiction-treatment-in-united-states/types-treatment-programs

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360921/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152944/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740547296001092