Inpatient treatment is a more intense form of addiction treatment, which typically lasts at least a month. Outpatient treatment is often an alternative to inpatient rehabilitation. It can be used with other forms of addiction therapy, such as 12-step programs or counseling. Outpatient Treatment involves biweekly appointments that involve counseling and periodic drug testing.

The patient must make a commitment to staying clean and sober during the outpatient program by attending all sessions meticulously, abiding by all rules and restrictions set forth by the plan, and following up on any additional help or interventions that may be necessary for the patient to remain abstinent from drugs during the 7 to 12 months.

What is an outpatient treatment?

Outpatient treatment involves regular check-in sessions with a licensed clinician or counselor on a weekly or biweekly basis in which the individual receives counseling. The person is expected to fulfill all of the requirements that the treatment program lays out. These are such as keeping up with scheduled appointments and drug screenings, attending support group meetings, taking prescribed medications, or getting involved in self-help.

A positive aspect of outpatient treatment is its potential to save you money by providing you with professional help while permitting you to continue your job and other activities. If you decide to go this route, it's important to choose a respectable provider for outpatient treatment who will offer you quality services without breaking your bank account.

Working of outpatient treatment

Working of outpatient treatment is simple. The first step to get rid of any kind of substance abuse problem is detoxification. The patients who have dependencies on certain substances undergo a rigorous drug treatment which involves giving them medications that detoxify the body, neutralize the toxins and flush out all drugs from their blood serum.

During this period, the patient withdraws completely from all substances in their system for a certain period. If a person is undergoing heroin dependency, then he or she will be given substitute drugs to stop from the severe withdrawal symptoms and provide comfort to him or her until he/she gets fully detoxified.

After the detoxification, the next step is behavior modification. Here, the patient will be getting counseling from behavioral counselors and psychologists so that he or she can understand the reason of their addiction and learn how to live a sober life after getting free from drugs.