The biggest advantage in outpatient care is that it offers more flexibility than inpatient care. It allows for patients to receive treatment and therapy while living at home. Inpatient treatment is more expensive and generally requires 24/7 presence on the premises.

Inpatient treatment can still be the best option for many people. There are several factors that can help determine whether you need inpatient or outpatient care. 

For example, some drugs have dangerous withdrawal effects. These include things like opiates, benzos, and alcohol. Depending on how often a person uses a substance, and how much of a substance they use, they might need a medically supervised detox.

Inpatient treatment provides access to doctors and medical staff 24/7. That means if there is a problem with the detox there will be staff on hand to help. This can help save a patient from awful injuries. It can even save someone’s life. 

However, inpatient treatment isn’t for everyone. Outpatient rehab is a preferable alternative for many people, especially those with jobs and families to keep up with. Even a relatively short, personalized inpatient program can be far too much to ask for someone with a job and other daily responsibilities. After all, when is the last time you got four weeks straight off of work without any problems? 

Intensive outpatient treatment helps patients save on costs. It also lets them continue to work and meet their other responsibilities. Also, intensive outpatient programs offer almost all of the same benefits as inpatient treatment. The only difference is that the patient isn’t monitored 24/7.

Inpatient treatment programs frequently lead to intensive outpatient programs. This allows people to continue getting the help they need to stay clean. It also allows them to resume their normal lives. That means that IOP is a good option to help someone stay clean when they’re done with their inpatient treatment program or a detox program. 

If you’ve already done an inpatient rehab program or have a mild addiction, IOP is an excellent choice. When compared to inpatient programs, it costs less. You have more flexibility too, which allows you to maintain your lifestyle. This is important for some as they can’t take the time off to do inpatient rehab. Family is an important part of any Intensive Outpatient Program because you’ll need their support and understanding. 

Family support is valuable for an addict as they start living life as a sober person. Your family will learn how to hold you accountable for whatever decisions you make. They will also be asked to ensure you attend your meetings. This is also going to bring back trust into the family dynamic. Addiction is hard on the people closest to you and there will be some effort for everyone to rebuild what may have fallen apart during your time of drug or alcohol abuse.

Outpatient treatment is the most convenient addiction treatment option. People show up for assigned treatment. This can take many forms. Sometimes it is different types of therapy. It can also include things like 12-step programs. Outpatient treatment can also take the form of different types of technologically-based medical interventions. 

Convenient as it is, traditional outpatient treatment is often not the best option for recovery, as it doesn't provide sufficient support for some patients between treatment sessions. A traditional outpatient program often features only one or two treatment sessions a week. For those with really serious afflictions, once or twice a week just isn't enough treatment.

There is a demand for an effective, consistent rehab program that still allows for a mostly uninterrupted life at home, but it isn't as invasive as full inpatient treatment. For many people, the best choice is a middle ground between full-time inpatient treatment and sporadic traditional outpatient treatment. 

That middle ground is IOP - intensive outpatient treatment. IOP is more involved than a traditional outpatient program, involving longer treatment sessions, more times a week. Choosing IOP still gives people the freedom they need to continue with their day-to-day activities, while also providing the consistent substance abuse treatment they need to recover and kick their addiction.

It is because of this flexibility that IOP programs are growing in popularity and effectiveness. But despite their growing popularity, they're not right for everybody. Here are some things you need to know before you decide. 

There are a variety of different outpatient programs. The normal outpatient programs aren’t as intensive as an IOP. You don’t have to commit as much time to your addiction recovery when you go through an outpatient program. Usually, you’ll do one to two hours of therapy once or twice per week. Intensive Outpatient Programs will require much more from you. An outpatient program is usually considered a step-down program. If you don’t need detox and know that you already have the motivation to stay clean, this is a good program. 

If you have multiple addictions or dual diagnosis disorder, you shouldn’t choose an outpatient program. These disorders are complex and require specialized treatment you won’t get with an outpatient program. Before you decide on any program, you can get an assessment to find out what level of treatment is necessary.

Partial Hospitalization Programs, or PHPs for short, are similar to intensive outpatient programs. The patient spends the day in a treatment program. But they go home in the evening. The treatment essentially takes the place of a person’s working hours. 

This type of program works for some people. It is best for people that don’t work. It is also good for people who work hours other than the standard 9 to 5.

But many people can’t spend 40 hours a week in treatment. IOP allows people to get the treatment they need while still seeing to their daily responsibilities. That means they can keep working, paying bills, and caring for family members. It also cuts down on the cost of treatment. 

It is also recommended as a post-inpatient rehab program. The difference between PHP and IOP is the amount of treatments you get every week. The PHP usually requires you to do 6 hours of treatment per day, 5 days a week. This makes it challenging to work a full day or meet your obligations. It is a resource for those who have relapsed and the addiction is out of remission. IOP requires half the time commitment.

12-step programs are a popular addiction treatment method. They have several advantages. A 12-step program provides the patient with a support group. It lets them learn from the stories of others. It also lets them relate to other people’s stories. This helps a person understand that they’re not alone in their struggle. 

But there are limits to 12-step programs. Most 12-step programs are voluntary. There’s no attendance record, because they are anonymous. That means it is easier for a person to skip 12-step program meetings. There are other drawbacks as well. A 12-step program needs enough people to create a stable group. That is a challenge in some areas. 

IOP incorporates 12-step programs as part of the intensive outpatient experience. One of the key differences is that IOP uses other methods as well as 12-step programs for recovery.

This means that intensive outpatient treatment can provide all of the benefits of a 12-step program, plus more. That’s because IOP also offers other services. These include things like group counseling and therapy. It also includes individual therapy. This can help patients get comfortable with treatment. As a result, their time in 12-step programs is more productive.

SMART Recovery is an addiction recovery support program. The organization has meetings all over the country. They also have meetings online. The program works in a similar way to 12-step programs. The main difference is that it doesn’t use the 12-step framework.

Instead, SMART recovery programs focus on self-empowerment to help people break their addiction. They also adjust their procedures according to the latest scientific evidence. This sets them apart from other mutual-support programs which rely on a standard method, like 12-step programs. 

But SMART Recovery doesn’t offer all of the same resources as IOP. It doesn’t give people access to individual therapy. It also doesn’t provide medication support to help people get clean. Finally, SMART Recovery has many of the same drawbacks as 12-step programs. Specifically, there may not be a SMART recovery group in your area. Also, the group’s meeting times might not work with a patient’s schedule. 

Intensive outpatient treatment incorporates all of the best aspects of the SMART recovery program. Our IOP program is based on the best evidence-based practices according to scientific studies. Group meetings and support groups are part of any high-quality outpatient program.