Are There Different Types of Outpatient Drug Rehabs?

An outpatient drug rehab is a treatment program for substance abuse which doesn't require that the individual remain at any type of treatment facility overnight. Treatment clients who take part in an outpatient drug rehab are free to leave after treatment each day. Outpatient drug rehab can be a beneficial treatment option for individuals who have only a brief history of substance abuse and would like to stop it before it progresses into something more serious and damaging. For example, someone who maybe wants to keep their substance abuse issue low key for the time being but address it effectively right away. This makes it convenient for such treatment clients to attend meetings or therapy sessions during the day and return home or attend to other obligations as needed without setting off any red flags.

There are different types of outpatient drug rehabs that individuals should be aware of. For example, outpatient drug rehabs deliver services anywhere from a few to several hours per day. Some outpatient drug rehabs only require that the individual take part in treatment services a few days per week, while others advise that the individual partake in daily treatment 6 or 7 days per week. How much time a treatment client spends in treatment is directionally proportional to how successful their treatment process will be. If someone is only willing to put in a few hours per week towards their recovery, even an outpatient drug rehab program will prove unsuccessful for them. As a rule of thumb, it is important to spend as much time in any type of drug rehab program as possible to reap the full benefits and rewards.

The differences in certain types of outpatient drug rehabs doesn't only have to do with the amount of time a treatment client is expected to spend in treatment each week. There are also differences in terms of what type of treatment is being offered. For example, there are some outpatient drug rehabs which offer medication to help individuals quell symptoms of opiate withdrawal and opiates cravings. This is often the case with drugs such as heroin or prescription pain killers for example. These types of outpatient drug rehabs are known as opioid maintenance therapy programs. The problem with this approach to treating opiate addiction is that the individual will be on the medications used in this type of therapy until they are prepared to endure the same withdrawal symptoms and cravings. In fact, these types of treatment clients should not be taking part in any type of outpatient drug rehab program at all. Opiate addiction is a very involved process which can take several weeks if not months to address in an inpatient or residential setting, and drugs are not needed to resolve it.

Instead, potential treatment clients who are looking for actual treatment should choose an outpatient drug rehab program which doesn't use drugs to fix a substance abuse problem. Mild to moderate substance abuse problems have been known to be effectively resolved in with either standard or alternative therapy and treatment. This approach all alone can prove very effective without the use of drugs, and individuals can fix their problem so that it doesn't progress into a more serious addiction issue.