Comparing Inpatient Treatment to Outpatient Treatment

Getting help for an addiction probably brings you to a rehab facility. There, caring staff members and therapists help you overcome the hold that a substance has on your life. How do they do it? Each addiction treatment program has a different emphasis on the individual’s needs when struggling with substance use disorder. At Beaches Recovery, our team has vast experience in helping individuals heal and recover from the disease of addiction. One way to discover what kind of treatment would work best is to compare inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment.

Inpatient Treatment and Partial Hospitalization Options

As an inpatient client, you live at the rehab facility. Doing so is an excellent option for a person struggling with severe drug addiction. It’s also suitable for someone who suffered a relapse. For individuals with uncertain living situations or co-dependent relationships, an inpatient setting offers safety and distance.

An alternative to inpatient treatment is the partial hospitalization program or PHP. You arrive at the rehab facility in the morning and spend your day there. In the evening, when others congregate to have free time, you return home. It’s a bit like going to work, except you go to rehab.

The partial hospitalization program makes sense when you have a stable home environment. In the inpatient vs. outpatient debate, it’s the option between two. Choosing this level of treatment also works well when you have a strong support network.

Outpatient and Intensive Outpatient Settings

Outpatient treatment typically bridges the gap between an inpatient setting and a complete return to a home environment. It benefits the individual who has undergone a stay at the facility but needs just a little extra help. Typically, it extends care to 60 or 90 days, making a huge difference for someone without a strong support network.

A second option is the intensive outpatient program or IOP. For qualified individuals, who have difficulty committing to a stay at a rehab facility, this option can work well. Flexible scheduling of therapy sessions makes rehab fit in with your lifestyle, job, and all the other responsibilities you have. That said, remember that not everyone qualifies for this type of recovery setting.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient – Which is Right for You?

As we’ve already discussed, inpatient care is instrumental to getting well when you battle a severe addiction. Living with individuals who use drugs or being in a codependent relationship could thwart your recovery efforts. For this reason, an inpatient setting protects you, your safety, and your ability to focus on getting well.

Outpatient settings can work well for individuals with milder substance abuse problems. Consider that addiction is a progressive brain disease. Not everyone is at the same stage when she or he seeks help. Those with milder forms of the disease of addiction may do well in an intensive outpatient setting.

This level of care also characterizes individuals who’ve graduated from inpatient treatment. You still benefit from therapies such as:

• Group settings that foster peer relationships
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy for assistance with changes to your thought patterns
• Trauma therapy pinpointed times in your life when situations altered the way you dealt with stressors
• Dual diagnosis treatment that helps with underlying mental health conditions
• Anger management program for individuals who need to find appropriate means of expressing frustration

Discover How Beaches Recovery Can Help

The inpatient vs outpatient discussion shows how therapists work with clients on an individual basis. At Beaches Recovery, you have access to a broad range of therapies that can make a significant impact on your life. If you’re struggling with addiction today, don’t you owe it to yourself to find more? Call 866.605.0532, or contact us online now for assistance.