Over 20% of people 12 and over have used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs within the last year alone. One of the hardest steps to take is admitting you need help overcoming your addiction. There are various treatment programs to choose from, so you need to consider all your options.
One of the best treatment options is an intensive outpatient program. So keep reading to find out if this is the right option for you.
What Is an Intensive Outpatient Program?
Intensive outpatient treatment allows people to continue to live at home while receiving treatment. The addiction treatment includes:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy sessions
- Counseling
- Psychiatry or addiction medicine services
These therapy sessions and skills workshops are tailored to your specific needs. Patients work on building sustainable coping methods and ways to manage their cravings.
As you continue with the treatment, the sessions become less intensive and frequent. The goal of these programs is to help patients overcome their substance dependence and allow them to maintain their recovery.
Intensive outpatient programs require at least nine hours of weekly participation. The length and frequency of the sessions depend on your needs and availability.
One of the main reasons to choose an intensive outpatient program is that it allows you to continue with your daily life. As such many programs offer after-work hours or early morning sessions to work with your schedule.
Medical and Emotional Support
About 50% of people with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse. Dealing with mental health disorders is difficult enough on its own; add an addiction on top of that, and it’s a recipe for disaster. This is why the medical and emotional support patients receive when they attend an intensive outpatient program is so important.
Outpatient treatment programs include sessions that focus on relapse prevention and long-term recovery. The goal of these sessions is to teach recovery skills and help reduce the risk of relapse.
These sessions also investigate outer factors that might have aided the addiction.
When dealing with addiction, maintenance drugs can be helpful depending on the situation. These drugs are strictly controlled by medical personnel. But can be a tremendous help in reducing cravings if administered correctly.
Safely coming off of substances is a benefit you’ll receive when you work with an intensive outpatient program. Stopping cold turkey might not be the best course of action, but the medical staff will be able to assist you with the process.
Pick the Best Treatment for Your Needs
Everyone’s needs and situations are different, so you need to consider all your options. An intensive outpatient program might be the right choice for you. If you’re unsure, you should rather contact a treatment facility to discuss all your options.
If you’re in the San Diego, CA, and Nashville areas and looking for a treatment center, feel free to contact us today. APEX Recovery provides outpatient treatment programs to ensure long-term recovery.