Which is Better – Inpatient or Outpatient Programs?
When you decide to enter a drug rehabilitation program, you have several options to choose from. Don’t get overwhelmed with choices, they’re all helpful for getting through detox and on your way toward sobriety. However, some programs will suit your needs more than others. Let’s take a look at the main difference in programs. You’re either going to stay in a rehab facility full time as a resident, which we call “inpatient”, or you’ll visit a treatment center periodically while still staying in your own home or with loved ones.
Inpatient facilities are often 24-hour residency programs with full time medical staff present to assist you with the difficulties of detoxification, withdrawal, and recovery. These places allow a patient to live there as a resident, either in shared accommodations or in a private room. The program often provides shared amenities like exercise equipment, a kitchen or cafeteria, and various therapies to help get you through the difficulties of detox. This is the more comprehensive treatment option and has the highest rates of success in terms of full recovery and ongoing sobriety.
The inpatient option is great because it takes you out of your normal environment and isolates you so you can focus on recovery and health. Since you’re removed from the stresses of your daily life and the possible unhealthy influences there, you’re better suited to attacking your addiction head-on and learning to understand its effects in your life.
Alternatively, outpatient treatment programs do not involve a residential stay at the facility. Instead, you visit the treatment center daily for counseling, therapy, and group sessions. You still stay in your own home, or with loved ones, but you’re getting help with your recovery just the same. Outpatient options are more suited to folks with a manageable (less life-threatening) addiction. If your addiction overwhelms you and drives you to self-destructive behavior, it’s better to go with an inpatient option.
Regardless of the style of recovery you choose, the important part is that you are committing to a new life of health and happiness by breaking free of your substance dependency forever. Commitment is what it takes for recovery. And that’s up to you, regardless of where you stay or which treatment support you receive.