Drinking and drug abuse is more common than you might think: According to the CDC, more than one in ten Americans have taken an illicit drug in the last month, and roughly that same amount will abuse drugs or alcohol during their lifetime. Of those, only 10% will ever get help and 5% say they don’t even know where to turn if they were to seek support. Far too many people muddle through and struggle along with their drug and alcohol abuse, just barely holding on to their job and just barely functioning. If you want more from your life, addiction treatment can help you get there and it could be easier than you think. Outpatient programs for addiction can help you address your drinking or drug use on your own terms, so you can start the road to recovery without pressing pause on the rest of your life.
Do I Need Addiction Treatment?
Substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder are progressive diseases, like cancer. Two individuals diagnosed with the disease might be on different ends of the spectrum in terms of severity, and if your symptoms are only mild or moderate, you might not think you need help. However, addiction doesn’t cure itself. Without professional treatment, it will continue to get worse over the course of your life. For some people, that happens quickly. Others might spend decades slowly drowning. Either way, the end destination is the same, and it isn’t anywhere you want to be. So, if you feel like drinking or drug use is having a negative impact on your life, it’s to your benefit to get help before it gets any worse. You don’t have to wait for a “rock bottom” moment before you change direction.
Types of Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment is so much more than “rehab.” There are many levels of care to address the needs, challenges, and goals of every individual. Depending on your level of abuse, you could enter the treatment continuum at many different points. For example, the most severe cases start with medical detox to manage their withdrawal symptoms. Medical detox is important if you’ve been consuming a large quantity of drugs or alcohol for a long time, and especially if alcohol is your drug of choice. Attempting to detox from alcohol on your own can be dangerous and even deadly. From there, many patients enter residential addiction treatment. Residential addiction treatment can last 28 days, 60 days, 90 days, or much longer, depending on an individual’s need. It is ideal for people who require 24/7 support, who do not have a safe and supportive home environment, or who have complex issues, like PTSD, to work through in addition to their addiction.
For those whose addiction is less severe or complex, however, there are other less intensive options. PHP (partial hospitalization programs) offer a level of treatment that is nearly residential, but allows a client to live at home in between sessions. IOP (intensive outpatient programs) and OP (outpatient programs for addiction) offer the same flexibility, with even less of a time commitment.
Virtual IOP Programs
One silver lining of the pandemic has been the growth of telehealth. All kinds of health treatment — including addiction treatment for professionals — is more accessible than ever before thanks to new online programs like Country Road’s virtual IOP. Our virtual IOP offers the same powerful treatment therapies that we offer in residential addiction treatment and PHP, but with the convenience of attending treatment from your own home. Virtual IOP can be done on your lunch hour or after work, making it easy to get help without disrupting your life.
Could virtual IOP be a fit for you? Contact our caring admissions team today to learn more about the program and start a new road in the new year.