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Apex Recovery Blog

In or Outpatient Treatment? Finding the Best Fit for You or Your Loved One

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Imagine the following scenarios: Avery found himself feeling a variety of emotions—helpless, frustrated, and scared to name a few. His father just stumbled in the front door for the fifth night in a row wreaking of alcohol, slurring his words, and struggling to recall where he was or who anyone was. He made a mess of the house struggling to walk a straight line and frequently drew attention from neighbors and guests, who looked at him with confusion or judgement in their eyes. Avery lost track of the number of times he pleaded with his father to get help and stop drinking. He encouraged his father to attend meetings or talk to someone but felt as though the advice fell on deaf ears or resonated only temporarily as his father continued to drink, lie, disappear for periods of time, and fail to stay sober for longer than a week. Avery soon found himself losing his temper with his siblings and fighting with his mother on how to handle his father’s drinking. He simply didn’t know how to best support his father or who to turn to for help. He also lacked insight regarding who to reach out to for the management of his own feelings. Meanwhile, Christina struggles with IV drug use. She began taking prescription pain killers, which she was prescribed when she had her wisdom teeth removed at age 16. She found that not only did they help with the pain, but they helped her cope with her anxiety and depression. She found she was able to get more pills from different doctors, and when she lost her mother at age 18, the pills were the only thing that could help her through the grief.  As the cost of the medication mounted, Christina turned to smoking heroin, which was cheaper and more accessible, which then transitioned to IV heroin use. She lacked coping skills and didn’t know how to manage her emotions. Her drug use affected her confidence, resulted in the loss of friendships, jobs, and promotions, and led to her fiancé calling off their wedding. She continuously found herself breaking promises to family, lying to her friends, and failing to make it on time to work, if at all. She occasionally attended recovery meetings, but her lack of confidence and social anxiety prevented her from staying for the duration of the meeting or connecting with others. She lost the trust of her family, friends, and sponsor, who discontinued work with her subsequent to her lack of motivation and commitment to recovery. Christina found herself in tears on the floor of her apartment not knowing what to do or who to go to for help with her drug use. Lastly, Ashley had always been known in her social circle as “The Fun One”.  She started drinking in college, and felt that her drinking was normal, as it was not uncommon for her and her friends to forget parts of their night or spend all day drinking at a football game. After college she started working in a high-paced environment, and happy hour meet-ups and bottomless mimosas were again not uncommon in her social circle. But unlike her friends who would have one or two drinks at happy hour and then stop, Ashley would often go home and drink a bottle of wine by herself. Ashley would feel tired the next morning and would often have a beer at lunch to feel better, but when she looked around, it seemed “normal”. But unlike Ashley’s friends that were getting married and having children, Ashley struggled to keep a relationship as she had a tendency to drink too much and lash out at the men she dated. She stopped going to yoga or the gym, as happy hour always seemed more fun. When she went in for her yearly doctor’s appointment, Ashley’s doctor noted that she had gained a significant amount of weight and that her blood pressure was a little high. Ashley started questioning if maybe her drinking was not so normal. Each of these scenarios, while different in their level of severity, share a common thread: feeling uncertain, hopeless, and wanting support. The highly skilled and knowledgeable staff at Apex Recovery want you to know that you have options, and we can help you or your loved one on the journey of recovery and healing. Apex Recovery offers several levels of care including Residential Treatment, Partial Hospitalization, and Intensive Outpatient Treatment.

Residential Treatment

Residential treatment is a viable option for people in recovery who need more added support. This may include detoxification to support a medically safe detox from drugs and alcohol.  At the residential level of care, the client resides at the facility, so the client is in the care of staff on a consistent basis, 24 hours per day. While in residential treatment, client’s vitals are monitored; medications are closely monitored; healthy food is prepared to maintain proper nutrition and health; clients are required to attend therapeutic groups along with individual therapy, and clients are randomly drug screened to further ensure safety, sobriety, and accountability. At Apex Recovery, the client is exposed to a holistic approach, which means clients do not just get one form of treatment such as talk therapy. The Apex Recovery program does not align with the disease model of substance use and instead supports and encourages choice and self-efficacy At Apex Recovery, we assist our clients in addressing the underlying emotional issues contributing to substance use, with an emphasis of treatment that is built on a well-rounded mind, body, and soul approach. As such, our residential treatment plan is comprised of process groups, skills groups, physical exercise, individual therapy, mindfulness and grounding via meditation, yoga, and massage, and outside recovery meetings that the clients are required to attend and supported to by staff. Clients are provided psychoeducation on themes such as distress tolerance, coping skills, anxiety and anger management, grief and loss, emotional processing, effective communication, and sobriety maintenance. It is not uncommon for clients to be provided workbooks or homework assignments as the clinical team and Apex staff know that growth is not limited to psychoeducation; implementation plays a key role in one’s success as well. The clinical team and Apex staff strive to create a residential environment that is safe and confidential to ultimately promote the growth and success of the client who is struggling and wants to turn their life around. Residential level of care benefits the individual that has attempted to stop drinking or using on their own and continues to struggle, or for the individual that experiences symptoms of withdrawal when they stop using. This level of care is also appropriate for someone struggling to identify or implement skills on their own, or who needs support to maintain their motivation for continued treatment. Residential level of care is also helpful for the individual without a supportive home environment.

Partial Hospitalization Program

Along with residential treatment, Apex Recovery also offers a level of care known as a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). The Partial Hospitalization Program is a step-down level of care as it requires the client to attend programing during the day and return home in the evenings. The Partial Hospitalization Program is a viable option for the client in the recovery process who is a bit more stabilized and demonstrates progress with their treatment goals, but still benefits from the daily support and structure to maintain sobriety. This person remains engaged in treatment and demonstrates high internal motivation for long-term recovery. The Partial Hospitalization Program allows the client to get slowly acclimated back into the home while still providing psychoeducation, support, and accountability. This level of care is beneficial for the individual that is at a high likelihood of continued use without close monitoring and support.  PHP may also be a beneficial treatment option for the individual that is not open to entering 24-hour care, but is open to recovery, but needs the ongoing structure during the day, but lives with a supportive family.

Intensive Out Patient Program

Similar to the Partial Hospitalization Program, the Intensive Out Patient Program (IOP) is also a step-down level of care as it does not require the client to live at the facility. IOP takes place three days a week for three hours at a time. The client in IOP is still actively engaged in group and individual therapy and complies with random drug screenings. They are provided psychoeducation and supported with exploring themes such as vulnerability, anger, addiction, boundaries, distress tolerance, communication, coping skills, self-care, self-compassion, relapse prevention, and if applicable, the transition from residential to outpatient rehab as this can be a difficult transition for some. IOP is a viable option for people who successfully completed the residential program or are further along in their recovery program and could benefit from the continued support and accountability. IOP may also be an option for the individual struggling with substance misuse, but is highly motivated to stop use, and has a positive support system.  IOP may also be an option for the individual that has achieved an extended period of sobriety, but recently experienced a set-back and needs some support getting back on track. Since clients in IOP reside at home and are not around staff continuously, they are provided the space to check in regarding their cravings, attendance at recovery meetings, support networks, and sources of relapse prevention. Clients are required to attend recovery meetings a certain number of times per week and are strongly encouraged to establish and increase a sober support network. Seeing a loved one struggle with addition or experiencing addiction first-hand can feel extremely scary, frustrating, confusing, and helpless. Many people may try one option such as a recovery meeting or a sponsor and quickly get discouraged and lose hope, or they may simply lack the insight regrading recovery and treatment options. If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, there are multiple options available, and a support team that can help you navigate the initial steps in connecting with treatment. The knowledgeable and experienced staff at Apex Recovery strive to create a supportive and safe environment and know that people in recovery are not all the same and are at different stages in their recovery. With a vast addiction treatment team comprised of a range of different specialties and a rehab program with various levels of care, you or your loved ones are supported and guided toward recovery and wellbeing.  

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