Drug Rehab Alcohol Treatment

How and When To Get Help

Posted on 06/08/23

Remind Me

             Detox, Outpatient Rehab and Sober Living

This is a friendly little guide to help you navigate the world of starting your treatment journey. When I was searching for treatment for myself in 2017, many of the terms that came up on search engines meant nothing to me outside of ‘detox’; believe me, I was well aware that I needed to detox but I wasn’t sure of what that exactly looked like and what my next steps would be. So if you are curious about getting help for substance abuse, just know that you’re not alone and continue to read on.

                               Detox

Everyone’s treatment plan and journey to recovery look different, they are as different as every individual themselves. Typically, people will check themselves into a detox/inpatient facility to begin their treatment, although depending on the type of substance used and severity of use, it may not always be needed. If withdrawal symptoms are present due to cessation of substance, it is highly recommended to find an inpatient facility and detox first. A period of acute detox can be anywhere from 3-10 days and then further stabilization at the inpatient facility at a lower level of care. It is standard for one to stay at an inpatient - or sometimes referred to as ‘residential’- facility for 30 days before discharging. While in detox/inpatient treatment, you should be medically monitored at intervals for the duration of your stay, provided meals, participate in community groups, provided medication and receive individual therapy. It is not uncommon for people to leave residential treatment after 30 days feeling much better and more hopeful than when they arrived, this is when it becomes vital to dive into continuity of treatment and seek out an outpatient facility.

                                                Outpatient

Ok! Congratulations. You’ve made it through your first 30 days substance free while in treatment. Now what? The absolute strongest encouragement and recommendation is to keep the momentum of your treatment going and step down to outpatient rehab. Let it be known that for the overwhelming and VAST majority of people who go through detox and residential treatment, this is NOT enough time to have gained and ingrained all new coping skills for living a life free of substance. This is exactly why being in outpatient treatment is so important. It is fairly common for the inpatient facility that you went to to help set up the arrangements for your outpatient programming. Some residential facilities have their own outpatient programming or they have trusted facilities that they send people to. The difference between outpatient and inpatient facilities is right there in the wording: at an outpatient program, you live OUTSIDE of the facility and at an inpatient program you are [temporarily] living INSIDE of the facility.

Outpatient programming is usually structured as a gradual step down of intensity of services received. At Stairway Resource Center, for example, it is most common for clients to come in directly from residential treatment and spend their newer days at the outpatient full time (M-F, 10am - 4pm). Once a client has stabilized further and is ready to step back into the workforce or return to school, their programming can be decreased; they will only come for half days M-F to allow time to integrate their new schedule while still keeping their recovery programming a priority. Finally, at Stairways Resource Center, for our clients who have established recovery time and have successfully begun to rebuild a life outside of programming, we have one more level of services to offer to them. At this level, clients can pick as few as 1 group per week to attend, to as many as they would like to participate in. There are also evening groups available for those whose work schedules permit attending evenings with greater access than days. At every level of care in outpatient programming, therapeutic services are provided, access to psychiatric care and medication, and a community of others in recovery to grow along with.

                                                Sober Living

Unlike detox, inpatient or outpatient treatment- sober living does NOT provide treatment services. Sober living is exactly as it is named: a living space for those who are learning recovery, practicing recovery and in sustained recovery. Sober living is meant to provide a structured and safe place for those in early recovery to reside. In our community of Stairway Recovery Homes, not only do we provide structure and safety, but we emphasize the importance of community! We believe that the opposite of addiction is connection and the connections that you can make around here are invaluable. Yes, relapse prevention, therapy, and groups are important for processing and gaining new coping skills in a life free of substance, but so is learning how to live with others, learning how to have fun sober and how to be a consistent and integral member of a community.

Hopefully this breakdown not only allowed greater insight to starting your recovery journey, but I am also hoping it opened your mind to making recovery a lasting priority for yourself. Whether in treatment or not, in sober living or living independently, the point is to take all that has been gained from each of these experiences and go forth with them, one day at a time.

      Call Now! Bobby Nicholl (949) 545-3438