Inpatient vs. Outpatient Rehab
Whether you’re worried about your own substance use disorder or that of a loved one, you may be trying to figure out how you can get and stay sober. Should you go to rehab? Would it be better to go to inpatient rehab or start with an outpatient program? Will you be able to get the support you need if you get one type of treatment or another?
The good news is that you can get and stay sober. Millions of Americans struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, and millions can stop and start living the lives they’ve always dreamed of. As with many things in life, this can be a lot easier when you get the help you need instead of trying to do it yourself. Addiction recovery treatment has helped many people like you begin their recovery journey and stay on the path even after treatment.
While some people can get and stay sober by starting with an outpatient program, others find it much easier to start at a residential facility. There you’ll be able to live in a trigger-free environment with lots of support and community 24/7.
For most users, the addiction is a symptom of some underlying cause. You must be able to work on those underlying causes to understand how they contributed to the addiction and how you can deal with life without the aid of alcohol and drugs.
Many of those with substance use disorders also have co-occurring mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, and ADHD, to name a few. A treatment center that also helps you deal with your dual diagnosis is key because it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get and stay sober with an untreated mental health disorder.
Inpatient rehab is highly structured, and each hour of the day has an activity assigned to it. That helps prevent you from getting too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT), known relapse triggers. While the amenities at different recovery centers vary, you’ll generally have a comfortable and safe place to rest and focus entirely on getting well. You can bring your pets to rehab and your spouse or partner if they also need help at some rehabs.
At most residential facilities, healthy meals are eaten at specific times of the day and everyone in rehab eats simultaneously. You’ll usually have therapy sessions, which can be held one-on-one with a therapist or in a group setting with your peers in the mornings and afternoons. You may also attend some life skills classes to help you learn to manage stress and what to do when life comes to you fast.
After dinner, you’ll usually have time for socializing, playing games, or other fun hobbies and activities. Lights out occur at a specific time for everyone, and you’ll get up in the morning at the same time as everyone else as well. You’ll always know what you’re doing next so you don’t have to fill up your time with drugs or alcohol.
Who Should Consider Inpatient Rehab?
The less structure and the fewer hours that you spend in treatment, the more time you spend in an environment full of triggers. You also need to make more of an effort to keep in touch with your sober community, and you may be scheduling your own therapy appointments and recovery meetings. That means you need a strong sobriety foundation to start in outpatient rehab.
By contrast, inpatient facilities are best for those who need more support and assistance to stay sober. If you’ve developed enough of a dependence on your drug of choice that withdrawal could be painful or even life-threatening, you’ll need to go through a safe, supervised detox first. If that’s you, then you probably need inpatient treatment.
Even if you don’t need a supervised detox to quit drugs and alcohol, inpatient rehab may still be the best place for you to begin your recovery journey.
If your life revolves around obtaining and then using your drug, your life skills have probably gone dormant. You’ll need some time to get your healthy habits back.
If you have a dual diagnosis, inpatient treatment will allow you to get a handle on both issues. Whereas outpatient rehab may not provide the level of care, you need to start healing.
If you’re at risk for relapse, inpatient treatment will help stop you from using again and teach you the skills you need to prevent relapse. You might be at risk because the drug you’re using is known for intense cravings even after you’ve stopped, or because you’ve tried rehab before but were unable to remain sober, or because you’ve been using for so long it’s hard to imagine life sober.
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How Long Does Inpatient Rehab Last?
The length of your stay depends on several factors. These include your physical and mental health, age, genetic tendencies, drug(s) of choice, how long you used it, and how much of it you took. In general, the sicker you are either physically, mentally, or in relation to your drug dependence, the longer you’ll need to attend inpatient rehab.
These programs may last 30, 60, or 90 days. A longer stay gives you more chances to practice new healthy habits and focus on what you need to learn for long-term recovery. If you haven’t been using it for a long time and/or didn’t use it much, and you’re relatively healthy, a shorter program could give you the support you need to succeed.
What Happens After Inpatient Rehab?
After your stay in a residential facility, you may need to continue treatment. Outpatient rehab involves several levels of care. The most intensive type, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), is very similar to inpatient treatment in terms of structure and spending most of the day in therapy sessions. The difference is that instead of staying at the facility overnight, you can return home or to sober living at the end of each day.
For those who don’t need as much structure, rehab may offer an intensive outpatient program (IOP) or other outpatient treatment that normally occurs outside school or work hours. You may attend sessions in the evenings and/or on the weekends. In these types of outpatient care, you have more flexibility and freedom.
The staff at your rehab might recommend that you continue on in a sober living home after (or during) outpatient treatment. This gives you more support, especially if your home situation isn’t as recovery-positive. It gives you even more time to practice your life skills and healthy habits to solidify your recovery foundation.
Once you’ve transitioned out of treatment, you’ll need to continue your recovery activities, such as going to 12-step or similar group meetings and keeping appointments with your therapist, if applicable. These will help prevent you from relapsing and you can use the tools you learned in rehab to avoid picking up your next drink or drug.
Muse Has California’s Top Inpatient Rehab
At Muse Treatment Center, we want you to be successful in rehab and on the rest of your path through life. We focus on making your rehab stay (whether inpatient or outpatient) as stress-free as possible, and we customize your treatment program to give you the best results possible. Our facility is affordable, and we take most insurance plans. Our staff is compassionate and understanding and dedicated to your recovery. Don’t wait any longer to start living the life you dream of and deserve—call (800) 426-1818 today.
