How Do Outpatient Drug Rehab Programs Work?

When entering a drug rehab program, a person can choose between inpatient and outpatient drug rehab. When drug addiction is severe and medically assisted detox is required, an inpatient program is always in a person’s best interest. But when drug addiction is not so severe or in other situations, outpatient drug rehab is a convenient and flexible way to get help with the fight against drug addiction. Successful addiction treatment will help the person stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and live a healthy and meaningful life in recovery.

Process Of Outpatient Drug Rehab Programs

The outpatient drug rehab treatment programs begin with an assessment. Then, using the ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) Criteria, patients are evaluated to see what kinds of drug addiction services are needed. The ASAM Criteria is a vital resource that addiction medicine experts rely on to provide a nomenclature for characterizing the continuum of addiction services. There are six dimensions:

• Dimension 1 includes the acute intoxication and withdrawal possibility, which examines an individual’s past and present substance use and withdrawal incidents.
• Dimension 2 includes the biomedical situations and complications, the study of an individual’s current health and history.
• Dimension 3 includes the emotional, cognitive, or behavioral conditions, looking at an individual’s emotions, thoughts, and mental health problems.
• Dimension 4 includes the readiness to change, which analyzes how eager and curious the person is to make a life transition.
• Dimension 5 includes the relapse, continued use, study of an individual’s unique relationship with relapse, and continued use.
• Dimension 6 includes the recovery and living environment, exploring an individual’s recovery or living situation. It also studies the people, places, and things they interact with.

Considering all the data, the six dimensions provide the therapists to determine the appropriate level of care a person will need to begin their recovery. The six dimensions give a full picture of all the problems being faced. By addressing all these problems instead of one or a few, there is a better likelihood of a successful recovery. The ASAM Criteria pays attention to the totality of the reasons behind a person’s condition. At this point, patients and therapists begin to work together to develop an outpatient addiction treatment plan that best suits them.

Different Types Of Treatment In Outpatient Rehab

There are three types of outpatient treatment per the different levels of care to help you on your path to recovery. The ASAM criteria play substantially affect how each patient is matched with each program. The therapists will discuss a patient’s choices with them and help decide which program will best suit their needs.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

This outpatient substance abuse treatment is designed to transition people from inpatient to outpatient treatment in a step-down method. It is used for patients who require a more intensive level of treatment at an increased frequency. Patients engaged in this program attend programming five hours per day, five times per week, for a total of about twenty-five hours per week.

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

This program is used to step down from PHP or for people who are ready for a less intensive degree of care than inpatient and PHP. These patients require a higher level of intervention than outpatient groups and are determined to stay sober in the recovery community. Patients in intensive outpatient programs attend sessions held three times a week for three hours daily.

General Outpatient Program (GOP)

This treatment program is the least intensive level of outpatient care and enables to prepare of patients for life in long-term recovery. It provides patients with sufficient support to stay sober at home, and their sessions usually last ninety minutes per day and are held one to three times per week. General outpatient proceeds for an unspecified period until it is decided by the patient, therapist, and their families. At this time, patients are prepared to begin the next stage of recovery in their life.

12-Steps And Outpatient Treatment

As part of the outpatient drug rehab services near me, patients often participate in the 12-step program. This program is a set of principles that enables people suffering from alcohol and addiction by giving individual action steps to direct them through recovery. In addition, many patients attend a twelve-step fellowship such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and find solace among members. Moreover, members of these groups emphasize self-admission of the issue they are regaining from.

They hold daily sessions and are an incredible form of support throughout recovery. Patients attend meetings, find a sponsor, and work the 12 steps with their sponsor while attending the outpatient treatment program. Joining a fellowship like NA or AA substantially boosts a person’s likelihood of long-term success in recovery, attaining freedom from active addiction or alcoholism, helping others achieve sobriety, and developing a sober support network.