What is Outpatient Treatment?

Outpatient treatment is a type of program that lets you continue living at home during your alcohol or drug rehabilitation. Compared to inpatient or residential treatment, outpatient treatment has the tendency of being less costly and more suitable for patients who cannot afford to take extended absences from their personal obligations or work.

Outpatient Treatment Options

Outpatient rehab treatment takes different forms that are prescribed based on the patient’s level of addiction and personal needs such as work commitments. Below are the most common outpatient treatment options:

• Partial hospitalization – Generally, this treatment option is recommended for patients with a stable living situation but who need ongoing medical monitoring. This option requires that the patients meet at the hospital for a period of 4-6 hours a day in 3-5 days per week.
• Intensive outpatient – This treatment option is almost like inpatient programs in terms of effectiveness and service levels. Most importantly, intensive outpatient majorly focuses on relapse prevention whereby the patient is required to attend the rehab for 2-4 hours a day, for at least 3 days in a week. The program embraces flexibility, although it is usually structured around school or work in order to feature the patients’ daily schedule.
• Therapy and counseling – These are two outpatient treatments which can be combined with other types of treatment or can be recommended as follow-up support following inpatient rehabilitation. This type of outpatient rehab is ideal for situations where the patient wants to identify the cause of their drug use, learn appropriate coping skills, and repair relationships. In many cases, the treatments include family counseling, individual or group therapy and behavioral therapy.

Situations When Outpatient Treatment May Be Recommended

There are several reasons why outpatient treatment can be suitable for some patients.

• As continuing care–After getting treatment in an inpatient facility (up to 90 days), outpatient rehabilitation can be recommended to prevent relapse or to help the patient maintain the long-term effect of recovery from addiction.
• If the severity of your addiction is low – For less severe addiction or during its early stages, outpatient treatment can prove indispensable in offering the necessary support you need to recover from the addiction.
• For the support of friends and family – Recovering from your addition requires a lot of commitment and encouragement from the people who know you. With outpatient treatment, you have an opportunity to live with your family and your friends so that they can support you during recovery.
• If inpatient is beyond your budget – Inpatient rehab treatments are in most cases more expensive than outpatient programs for the patients will be required to pay for room or board. That’s why outpatient treatment is a great option for recovery with very little financial stress.
• If inpatient care will affect your working or schooling –Sometimes you might find that no matter how much you may want to recover from your addiction through inpatient treatment option, your profession or personal situations may preclude you from committing to inpatient care. That’s when outpatient treatment comes in because the programs are designed or scheduled around school and work to fit your lifestyle better.

Admitting that you have a problem and that you can solve it given the necessary support is the key to regaining your life back from alcohol and drug addiction. Depending on the severity of your addiction, outpatient treatment can be your best alternative without breaking the bank.

For more information about our outpatient rehab in Orange County, call Yellowstone Recovery at (888) 418-4188 today!