How Does Outpatient Addiction Treatment Work?
Substance abuse treatment have evolved a lot over the past 20-30 years, and unfortunately, a lot of misconceptions still linger.
For example, when most people hear about outpatient treatment for substance use disorders, they usually imagine a few weekly counseling sessions or perhaps a harm reduction program or Suboxone clinic.
Is that what outpatient treatment is? Well, yes. But… there’s a whole lot more that falls under the umbrella of outpatient addiction care. Anyone who is battling addiction or loves someone who owes it to themselves to get fully informed on all of the treatment options available.
This Achieve Wellness and Recovery article will get you up to speed on the broad range of addiction services available on an outpatient basis so you can make an informed decision for yourself or your loved one.
The Trifecta of Treatment: PHP, IOP, and OP
PHP? IOP? OP? No, you’re not looking at an eye chart. These are acronyms for the three main categories of outpatient addiction treatment, also known as levels of care. At the top of the stack is the Partial Hospitalization Program or PHP.
The PHP is arguably the most popular form of drug and alcohol treatment at the moment because it offers the best elements of both residential treatment and outpatient. Outpatient treatment typically consists of 1 weekly meeting or therapy session: the Intensive Outpatient Program, or IOP, slots between the two.
Outpatient substance abuse treatment levels of care:
- Partial Hospitalization Program: Full day (6 hours) of addiction care, 5 days a week.
- Intensive Outpatient Program: Half-Day treatment 2-3 days per week.
- Outpatient Program: One 60-90 min treatment session per week.
How Partial Hospitalization Programs Work in NJ
The partial hospitalization program or PHP for addiction has exploded in popularity since the 1990s. It’s easy to see why. One of the biggest fears many people have about treatment is that they’re going to be locked up. Institutionalized in some cold, heartless clinical facility with pale green walls.
PHP solves that problem by separating where you get your therapy and drug treatment from where you sleep at night. People in a PHP get group and individual therapy and targeted treatment for underlying issues like trauma and anxiety during the day — just like someone in a residential rehab.
A Full Day of Addiction Treatment — Without Staying at a Rehab Overnight
For 6 hours a day, five days a week, you get solid dual-diagnosis care — but when your treatment day is over in PHP, you go to off-campus supportive housing instead of sleeping at a medical facility.
This is a no-brainer for people who don’t require 24/7 medical supervision — and that’s just about anyone who has completed alcohol and drug detox.
If you don’t need a medical detox anymore, don’t have a desire to hurt yourself or someone else, and don’t have any acute medical needs —- then a PHP might be a perfect fit.
Why are PHP Drug and Alcohol Programs So Popular in NJ?
Well, it’s all the reasons above, plus some very practical reasons we haven’t mentioned yet. For sure, most people would much rather spend their evenings in a supportive living environment with all the comforts of home.
But that’s not where the advantages of PHP end. This form of treatment is also arguably more cost-effective than residential or inpatient treatment.
What that means to you or your loved one is that:
A.) Your out-of-pocket costs should be lower, which means either less spent on treatment or more total days of treatment than you might have received otherwise.
B.) The daily cost to your insurance company is less than that of residential rehab in NJ. This means your insurance company may be more likely to approve an extra week or two of treatment. Sometimes, that can make a bigger difference than you’d ever imagine.
The Middle Path: Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in New Jersey
The intensive outpatient program or IOP is more akin to what many people think of when they hear “outpatient treatment”. IOPs are popular because they have a proven track record of helping people stay sober and drug-free longer (as opposed to people who do to rehab and skip IOP).
The other reason people seeking help getting off of drugs and alcohol like IOPs is that they offer a way to get some real help, without completely upending your life. In an IOP, you don’t need to leave New Jersey. You can even return home and sleep in your own bed every night if you want to, and it is safe for your recovery.
People enrolled in IOPs may return to work part-time or pick up a reduced courseload at college while they continue their substance abuse treatment.
Some advantages of IOP treatment include:
- The ability to return to work or school part-time.
- Opportunities to safely ‘road-test’ your new recovery in the real world.
- A cost-effective way to extend the period of time you’re receiving treatment.
The Finishing Touch: The Outpatient Program
By the time most people progress to an outpatient substance abuse program, they will have several months of sobriety and established a routine. This means returning to work or school full-time, looking after family members, or engaging in whatever else they were doing before treatment —– but doing it sober, of course.
You might be tempted to ask, what outpatient sessions once a week or so are for? After all, if you’ve completed a PHP and IOP and accrued several months of sobriety, and are doing well — what’s the treatment for?
Why are Outpatient Counseling Visits Necessary?
Outpatient treatment is recommended as a follow-up to partial hospitalization treatment and intensive outpatient care for addiction for a few reasons. Remember that addiction is a chronic illness. There is no cure for addiction. We merely put it in remission.
Outpatient counseling helps to steady the wheel in that critical first year of sobriety. OP is proven to reduce relapse rates and increase the likelihood of lasting recovery.
New Jersey’s Most Trusted Outpatient Addiction Care
Achieve Wellness and Recovery was founded by medical professionals who saw the pain and destruction of addiction in their own families. This is more than a job for us — it’s a mission. We know that many people may only get ONE shot at this. That’s why we bring passion and empathy to everything we do — but we also never sugarcoat the seriousness of this illness.
We have one final note for you before you decide on substance abuse treatment in NJ. Remember, there is a direct correlation between how much treatment you get and how likely you are to achieve long-term sobriety. No one ever got “too much” help for a problem. Many people have made the costly mistake of getting less help than they need.
Achieve Wellness and Recovery has solutions for addiction. If you or a person you love is battling a substance use disorder —- call us now.
We’re ready to help when you’re ready to call.
You can also click here to find out how our program can work with your insurance.
