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Guide on Outpatient Drug Rehab

Last updated on: Friday, 15 September 2023
  • What You'll Learn

An outpatient drug rehab is an excellent option for individuals who cannot go away to inpatient treatment. Work, school, and family responsibilities may be reasons for someone not being able to seek a residential program. That said, it should not prevent you from getting the needed help. DRS has a comprehensive list of outpatient drug rehabs to help you get the necessary support regardless of your other responsibilities.

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What is Outpatient Substance Use Treatment

Outpatient drug and alcohol rehabs provide rehabilitation services daily or weekly. In an outpatient setting, individuals do not live on-site. Clients visit the center and receive treatment at times that are convenient for them. Services typically include counseling and various forms of therapy, and aftercare. It is important to note that the client must remain sober during treatment; random drug testing is done.

Tips for Finding Outpatient Treatment

  • Consult our directory and search through information detailing the various outpatient programs in the state of your choice.
  • Contact your local Medicaid office or health insurance provider; find out what outpatient services are covered. Generally, outpatient substance use treatment is covered by most health insurance providers.
  • Contact more than one outpatient program. Generally, there are never waitlists because clients are not living at the facility. Ask about the admission process, payment options, and the accepted health insurances.
  • Ask about standard outpatient treatment or intensive outpatient programs (IOP); both have pros and cons.
  • Outpatient programs are common in larger metropolitan areas, yet some operate in smaller communities. Ideally, it’s a good idea to consider programs in different communities, yet commuting can make it challenging.
  • List the top three choices for outpatient treatment. Ensure the program fits your finances and treatment needs.
  • Begin the admission process as soon as possible.

Questions to Ask When Looking for Outpatient Treatment

For every outpatient program you contact within your state, consider some of the following questions before admission:

  • What is the required length of time needed? How many days a week, and how many hours each day?
  • What therapy and counseling options are offered? Does it include any other services or aftercare support options?
  • Is access to detox part of the outpatient program?
  • What is the total cost for the set length of time required, and are there additional costs?
  • What happens if there is a relapse during treatment?
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Benefits of Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Rehab

  • These programs are beneficial for someone that is still working and who has family responsibilities.
  • Outpatient programs are less expensive and more accessible for most families.
  • Outpatient treatment allows less disruption in a person’s life if they maintain their commitment to treatment.
  • Random drug and alcohol testing is done to ensure the client remains sober.

Ask a Professional

  • What is outpatient drug rehab?

    Outpatient drug rehab is a type of substance abuse treatment where the patient continues to live and stay at home, attending treatment remotely or in person by traveling to a facility regularly. Outpatient treatment programs are usually set within larger inpatient facilities since the two levels of care are meant to work together. After inpatient treatment, outpatient services are usually recommended.

  • What does outpatient drug rehab consist of?

    The patients usually meet at a scheduled time for a group counseling session and may also have individual sessions weekly. They may also be screened for substance use and given assignments to perform while at home to further their recovery. Most group sessions include patients discussing and sharing their experiences around a specific recovery topic and may include support group meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous.

  • Are there different types of outpatient treatment?

    There are many different types of outpatient treatment. “Outpatient” only describes the fact that the patient doesn’t live at the facility where treatment is rendered. So, many different types of rehabilitation have outpatient services. But outpatient drug and alcohol treatment is usually found wherever inpatient programs exist.

  • When is outpatient treatment appropriate?

    Outpatient treatment is best utilized as the next step after inpatient treatment is completed. As a supplement to a complete rehabilitation program, outpatient rehab doesn’t provide a person who is actively using substances with the tools or support to stop. Although it may seem attractive to the prospective patient only to attend an outpatient program to treat their addiction, taking such a shortcut isn’t advised. The recommended course is detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient rehab. After completing outpatient treatment, the hope is that no further rehabilitation will be needed.

  • Want to know more?

    The questions from Addicted.org’s “Learn from our Experts” are answered by Michael Leach, CCMA. If you need further clarification on any of the questions above or have any other questions you can contact him directly at mike@addicted.org.

Common Terminology Surrounding Outpatient Drug Rehabilitation

Term
Definition
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Typically, a time-limited non-residential clinical treatment involves attending a program daily for several hours per day. One step below intensive outpatient treatment is partial hospitalization.
Partial Hospitalization Programs
are an intensive clinical service that is often medically monitored. The program is a step below inpatient hospitalization, and the patient is participating in clinical services all day long for a set time. Like outpatient treatment, a partial hospitalization program requires the patient to live at home and attend treatment daily.
Day Programs
are outpatient day programs that have the highest level of care and structure provided in an outpatient setting. Typically, residents of day programs commit to meetings five to seven days per week at an outpatient center for multiple hours each day.
Continuing Care
these are support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous and are ongoing support resources to help recovering addicts stay connected to sober people.
Peer Support
is also known as mutual help organizations that are structured non-clinical relationships. Individuals participate in activities that engage, educate, and support patients recovering from substance use.
Recovery Coach
is a non-clinical peer support specialist or peer mentor that operates within a community organization. Most recovery coaches are former addicts and focus on helping individuals to set and achieve goals important to recovery.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ARTICLE

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MARCEL GEMME, DATS

AUTHOR

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Marcel Gemme has been helping people struggling with addiction for over 19 years. He first started as an intake counselor for a drug rehabilitation center in 2000. During his 5 years as an intake counselor, he helped many addicts get the treatment they needed. He also dealt with the families and friends of those people; he saw first-hand how much strain addiction puts on a family and how it can tear relationships apart. With drug and alcohol problems constantly on the rise in the United States and Canada, he decided to use the Internet as a way to educate and help many more people in both those countries. This was 15 years ago. Since then, Marcel has built two of the largest websites in the U.S. and Canada which reach and help millions of people each year. He is an author and a leader in the field of drug and alcohol addiction. His main focus is threefold: education, prevention and rehabilitation. To this day, he still strives to be at the forefront of technology in order to help more and more people. He is a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist graduate with Honours of Stratford Career Institute. Marcel has also received a certificate from Harvard for completing a course entitled The Opioid Crisis in America and a certificate from The University of Adelaide for completing a course entitled AddictionX: Managing Addiction: A Framework for Succesful Treatment.

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MICHAEL LEACH, CCMA

MEDICAL REVIEWER

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Michael Leach is a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, who has over 5 years of experience working in the field of addiction. He spent his career working under the board-certified Addictionologist Dr. Rohit Adi. His experience includes working with families during their loved one’s stay in treatment, helping those with substance abuse issues find treatment, and teaching life skills to patients in a recovery atmosphere. Though he has worked in many different areas of rehabilitation, the majority of his time was spent working one on one with patients who were actively withdrawing from drugs. Withdrawal and the fear of going through it is one biggest reason why an addict continues to use and can be the most difficult part of the rehabilitation process. His experience in the withdrawal atmosphere has taught him that regardless of what approach a person takes to get off drugs, there are always mental and emotional obstacles that need to be overcome. He believes having someone there to help a person through these obstacles can make all the difference during the withdrawal process.