Outpatient Drug Addiction Centers

Outpatient drug addiction centers

From street drugs to prescription painkillers, millions of Americans face the social, economic and physical consequences of drug addiction every day. When drug addiction develops, it takes a wide-reaching toll on the addicted individual’s lifestyle, leading to personality changes, mood swings, financial difficulties and social isolation.

From even the initial use of a drug, a complex series of chemical interactions begins to take place in the brain and body, leading to chemical imbalances that quickly render the user unable to stop drug use alone.  Fortunately, drug addiction help can be obtained through professional drug treatment centers that focus on breaking the physical and psychological cycles of drug addiction through medically supervised detoxification and intensive addiction counseling.

Specifics of Outpatient Drug Addiction Centers

Drug addiction help generally comes in two varieties — inpatient residential drug rehabilitation centers or outpatient drug recovery solutions. While outpatient drug rehabilitation programs can be successful for many addicted individuals, they often involve a lower time investment, unchanged lifestyle components and less intensive treatment.

Patients attend outpatient drug recovery solutions during night and weekend hours, allowing them to maintain their employment and family obligations. Most outpatient programs require that patients first have successfully detoxified from drugs and no longer are experiencing the physical bonds of addiction. To ensure drug-free status, patients may be required to submit to routine or randomized drug testing while participating in outpatient care.

Outpatient drug treatment programs also place a premium on drug addiction education. With seminars, educational materials, group discussions and family workshops, outpatient drug treatment programs seek to help patients understand the causes, cycles and aspects of drug addiction.

However, the focus of addiction education tends to be more generalized in nature, with less emphasis on personal drug use triggers, individual emotional issues or underlying psychological conditions than patients will find in inpatient drug treatment programs. Some aspects of transitional planning may also be available in outpatient treatment programs, with an emphasis on occupational counseling, 12-step treatment groups and government-funded social programs.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient Drug Addiction Treatment

For many individuals seeking drug addiction help, the question of whether to select an outpatient or inpatient drug treatment program becomes one of the first decisions involved in the pursuit of recovery. Inpatient programs are residential in nature, allowing the addicted individual to enter a supervised, safe and sober environment where intensive treatment can take place — usually for a duration of 30 days or more.

Detoxification can often be performed on site, allowing the addicted individual to smoothly transition between healing from physical addiction to drugs and the emotional, psychological and lifestyle changes that need to take place during the balance of their respective stays. For those with psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma responses, learning or personality disorders, the capacity to treat mental health issues alongside drug addiction — known as “Dual Diagnosis capacity” — may necessitate inpatient care.

Additionally, inpatient drug rehab centers may be the most appropriate option for those who have battled long-standing drug addictions, those who require detoxification or patients who have relapsed after prior drug treatment.