There are those that give up after one attempt of treatment when they relapse. It does not mean that all drug treatment is not effective but that particular form of treatment was for you. There are many forms of treatment where you can either stay at a facility until you are all better or attend sessions at a facility while still living at home.

Table of Contents

Inpatient Treatment

Inpatient treatment is effective when you are trying to recover but you are constantly surrounded by high levels of stress and triggers. You feel that if you stay at home, you know you will be tempted to visit that bar or meet with those friends that have access to drugs. You could be having hiding places all over the house where you keep your stash that you feel tempted to go back to.

Inpatient treatment will make it hard to feel tempted as you are in a sober environment with sober people. It can also be useful for those who have a low level of support at home, a history of substance abuse, and have received poor treatment in the past.

Inpatient treatment requires 24-hour care under the treatment of medical and mental professionals. This type of treatment can either take place in a hospital or a specialized behavioral health clinic.

Advantages of Residential Rehab

Residential rehabs make you feel like you are in a home, apartment, or dorm-like environment. Inpatient care can last days to weeks while residential programs can last weeks to months. Residential programs can give you individual or group therapy sessions, access to medical services, nutritional counseling, wellness activities, and aftercare programs.

Inpatient programs offer family programs for relatives to participate in family counseling and activities. This can help mend trust and identify the dysfunctional relationships that lead to trigger relapse. Some inpatient programs have shared rooms, meals, and recreational activities like going swimming or playing sports. There are private luxury suites that offer gourmet meals, pool, spa, or gym.

What is Sober Housing?

Sober housing is where you can stay after spending a period of time in an inpatient facility. They are short-term and less intense to help transition to independent living like learning job skills, finding work, and organizing your finances. You can go about your daily tasks and responsibilities while still living in the facility and going where you please. However, you still have a curfew and are required to attend meetings.

In sober housing, you can fulfill your responsibilities and daily tasks. You can also create positive friendships with others at the sober housing which will prevent yourself from feeling isolated when you return home. You can also be taught how to make a relapse prevention plan if you run into triggers and how to prevent them.

Outpatient Therapy

Outpatient therapy is useful for those who are in stable conditions with mild symptoms willing to participate in treatment. It can help those who have families to take care of at home or who cannot afford to take off so many days at work. By going to outpatient care, you do not have to explain to anyone why you will be away for a while as you can still be at home but get a good level of care to help treat your addiction.

Outpatient care can provide assistance a few times a week for limited hours. They can take place in a doctor’s or psychologist’s office, community clinic, or treatment clinic. There are day programs where clients can commit to five to seven days a week for many hours. You will receive ongoing therapy, group counseling, or expressive forms of therapy like art and music therapy. Intensive outpatient therapy requires multiple sessions for a few hours a week for counseling sessions, group therapy, relapse prevention, and 12 step programs.

Maintenance Therapy

Maintenance therapy can be useful for taking medications to prolong withdrawal symptoms lasting weeks to months. Benzodiazepines can help with alcohol addiction to reduce anxiety and irritability. They have a sedative effect but can also be addicting so it is best to take them under medical supervision.

Drugs can cause you to be depressed where you can no longer produce happiness-inducing chemicals in your brain. Antidepressants like Zoloft and Prozac can help you feel happy again until your brain can do the job on its own. Clonidine can help with alcohol and opioid withdrawal to reduce sweating, cramps, muscle aches, anxiety, tremors, and seizures.

Medication Can Decrease Cravings

There are a variety of medications that can encourage your recovery.

Naltrexone is an injection given every four weeks that blocks receptors in the brain that produces pleasurable effects that alcohol brings you and can reduce your urge to drink.
Acamprosate relieves emotional and physical distress caused by alcohol addiction and reduces the urge to drink.
Disulfiram causes nausea or vomiting when trying to drink.
Methadone helps suppress cravings and withdrawal symptoms by binding to the same receptors as opioids without getting you high. However, it still has addicting qualities.
Suboxone works the same way as methadone but the addicting power is lower and can be taken home with you.

Get Treatment Today

Treatment is different for everyone. Some people need more rigorous forms of treatment. They don’t want to be around anything that can cause them to relapse. Then there are others that need less intense forms that they can do at home so that they are not away from their responsibilities. The most successful form of treatment is the one that steers you away from abusive substances and where you can enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

At Bayview Recovery, we offer a variety of addiction treatment, including:

At our facility in Tacoma, Washington, our mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services. In addition to substance abuse, we also treat anxiety and depression. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more, we provide successful recovery. For more information, please call us at 855.478.3650.