Does Outpatient Rehab Make More Sense Sometimes than Inpatient Rehab

Question

Doesn’t it make more sense for me to stay at home and do an outpatient program? I went to rehab last year and everything seemed great while I was away but it was so artificial because I wasn’t near all the people and places I had always used with and in. I relapsed like within a month of getting out and haven’t been clean since. My parents want me to go back in, but I think that this time I should do an outpatient program so at least I don’t get that big surprise after graduation and my return to home. Does an intensive outpatient program make more sense for someone like me?

Dr. David Sack · Accepted Answer

Outpatient treatment is most successful when the course of addiction is not complicated by other factors such as a co-occurring psychiatric disorder, multiple drugs of abuse at the same time or recent or past suicide attempts. One needs to look at whether it is even possible for the individual to cut down or stop in an outpatient setting. As a rule people do best when they are treated in the setting that is most appropriate for their particular problems. Transitions are difficult for most people in early recovery.

At Promises we find that people are most successful when they find a temporary sponsor and commit to going to enough meetings in the first month (20-30 meetings) to find a home group they are comfortable going back to. Continuing with outpatient therapy and medications (if they have been prescribed for depression or anxiety) can be critical to success.

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