For many alcoholics, the decision to get started on the road to recovery can be scary. There are feelings of shame, worry, confusion and concern. Any one of them is enough to get some to put off getting the help needed to break the cycle of addiction. One of the biggest concerns is that someone will have to leave their job and family to enter rehab and get help.
The good news is there are plenty of rehab options for drug and alcohol abuse and not all require someone to leave their traditional lives. There are intensive outpatient programs that are options for some patients. These programs allow people to get the support they need to start the road to recovery while keeping their family and home lives.
Remember, addiction is not a failure. It is a disease that can grab hold of anyone. It doesn’t matter their background or career. Alcohol or drug use dependency can take control of any person’s life, so don’t feel like you are alone in your sobriety efforts.
In fact, 14.5 million people have an alcohol use disorder in the U.S., according to federal data. Another 10 percent of adults have had a drug use disorder at some point in their life.
When many people think of rehab, they imagine people dressed in white, living at a facility and participating in counseling and therapy. That is the most common belief and that happens in inpatient treatment. They live at the facility so they can get round-the-clock care to beat their alcohol or drug addiction.
The other option is outpatient care. That is where people visit a facility for a set number of hours a week and participate in counseling and therapy. Then, at the end of the day, they head home. This is a perfect rehab option for people with work or family responsibilities. They can continue to work their jobs, then head for counseling before heading home for the day.
In an IOP, or intensive outpatient program, a person visits a facility for a set number of hours a week for therapy and care. The hope is to address their alcohol or drug abuse as well as any underlying conditions that led to the abuse. Usually people will visit between 9 and 20 hours each week to get support on their road to recovery.
Staff will help people identify triggers and what caused them to turn to substances. Then they will give them the tools to stay sober in their day-to-day lives.
A patient can get all the support they need while maintaining a job or their family life. Often, their workplace doesn’t even know the person is in a treatment program. They show up for their regular shift and continue their job and then end for support on their road to recovery.
Reach out today to our staff at Country Road recovery center to find out more about an IOP and if it’s the right treatment option for you.