A substance addiction is a terrible burden and it is often difficult or impossible to ‘kick the habit’ single-handedly. While there are rehab centers and the like, many sufferers have jobs or families, busy schedules that do not allow them the time or opportunity to simply stop everything for a period of weeks or months and focus exclusively on their addiction. In addition, there are those who have successfully completed rehab, but want to ensure against relapse. For these people, outpatient addiction treatment provides a solution. Outpatient treatment gives the victims of substance abuse the ability to maintain their real world activities and responsibilities while providing them with peer-oriented, structured therapeutic programs to address their problem. Many also provide sober living homes, places to stay where the patients are not subjected to the temptations and opportunities to indulge in their drug of choice. This is different from a facility where one cannot leave during the recovery process – residents move freely into and out of these sober living homes as they conduct their daily personal or business routines. One problem of addiction recovery is making time to attend group therapy sessions. These sessions are an important part of treatment, providing am empathetic and safe environment, plus a sense of mutual support and understanding that can be very beneficial to those struggling with their various dependencies. In order to better serve those patients whose lifestyle simply doesn’t allow a great deal of free time, outpatient addiction treatment groups hold meetings throughout the week in various convenient locations, making it easier for these people to attend. Even though the patient is not enrolled in a facility for treatment, outpatient addiction centers offer the same types of services as other types of facilities, including evaluation and assessment, to determine the nature and level of addiction, educational groups, treatment planning, individual counseling sessions, discharge and transition planning, relapse prevention and access to a variety of resources to aid in rehabilitation. These groups can coordinate with physicians or therapists in order to make sure that all aspects of the patient’s treatment are pulling in the same direction. They offer drug testing as needed, to help the patients stay clean. Many offer round the clock assistance, either online or via telephone. Many of the individuals who take advantage of these programs have already graduated from a more intensive treatment program, but still need that extra assistance to prevent recidivism. And some graduates of the programs stay on to help new members adjust by providing a positive example that change is possible. While life has a way of filling up all of a person’s free time, there is nothing more important, both to yourself and to your loved ones, than for you to be healthy and well. If you want help but you don’t think you have the time – or if you’ve completed an addiction rehab program but you want to make sure you stay clean and sober – then outpatient addiction treatment may be just what you need.
