Success Rates of Outpatient vs Inpatient Addiction Treatment
How do you define success in substance abuse recovery? Is it long-term sobriety, or is it baby steps forward? Considering the wide toll that addiction can take on your life, success may be defined as decreased substance use, better health and safety, fewer brushes with law enforcement, a better quality of life, more focus at work or school, and/or improved personal relationships. In the best-case scenario, you will realize the benefits and improvements in multiple aspects of your life.
Success may be influenced by many factors: the fit of the selected rehab program, your individual commitment, the tools and strategies added to your toolbox, and the strength of your support system—to name just a few. If you are weighing the benefits of outpatient vs inpatient addiction treatment, you may be wondering which holds the best chance of success for you. The answer may surprise you.
Examining the Differences Between Outpatient and Inpatient Addiction Treatment
Similar to other chronic health conditions, addiction has a high relapse rate. The NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse puts that rate at 40–60%, in the range of chronic disorders like diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. For this reason, they suggest that relapse indicates not a failure but a need to reevaluate and readjust treatment plans.
A wide variety of treatment programs exist, and finding the one that meets your needs may be easier said than done. A good place to start is by examining the key differences between inpatient vs outpatient addiction treatment programs.
Inpatient Rehab for Addiction Treatment
Inpatient rehab, also known as residential treatment, requires you to leave your home and move into a treatment center for a period of time. Inpatient treatment is available in many hospitals and free-standing rehabilitation facilities across the country. In general, inpatient treatment for addiction encompasses these attributes:
- 24-hour care and scheduling: Inpatient rehab provides a place for clients to recover and work through their program with 24-hour support. Daily schedules allocate time for therapy and counseling, as well as time to rest and reflect. There is easy access to various medical and mental health professionals.
- Medically supervised detox stabilization: In most cases, physical withdrawal from a substance is difficult and may even be dangerous. Inpatient treatment allows cravings and symptoms to be monitored and medically managed as the drugs or alcohol are cleared from your body. This support with handling cravings often helps to maintain treatment momentum and prevent a return to substance use.
- A higher degree of accountability: By limiting access to environmental triggers and the availability of substances, inpatient rehab offers patients a higher level of accountability. In this environment, the likelihood of complete substance withdrawal is enhanced.
The success of inpatient treatment may be largely attributed to secluding patients away from substances and separating them from the physical, mental, and social situations that may have supported or contributed to their addictions. The length of inpatient care will vary, but due to the concentrated nature (24/7) and potential to cover more ground, it will typically be shorter in duration (weeks or months) than outpatient addiction treatment.
Outpatient Rehab for Addiction Treatment
Outpatient rehab describes any of the variety of addiction treatment programs people attend part-time while still living at home. Outpatient treatment usually begins after detoxification is complete, though, in rare cases withdrawal may be supported on an outpatient basis. Although outpatient treatment is not as immersive, the program may still be intensive, offering substantially structured therapeutic interventions.
- Daily/weekly commitment: Outpatient rehab programs usually require several hours of commitment several days per week, typically 9 to 16 hours total per week.
- Greater flexibility: An outpatient program will offer the greatest degree of flexibility. This may be important to you if you have family responsibilities or job obligations that require your time during part of each day.
- Real-time/real-world applications: The nature of outpatient programs enables participants to remain involved to a degree in their regular life and daily schedule. As they learn new strategies, they are then able to immediately apply them as they gradually make changes or shifts in their beliefs, understandings, and behaviors. While it might be argued that the nature of outpatient treatment provides greater access to substances and addiction triggers, it is also a fact that even patients leaving inpatient care must transition back to their normal life with its temptations and the chance of relapse.
Because outpatient therapy is less of an immersive experience, some therapies may take longer to achieve the desired impact. For this reason, outpatient therapy is typically spread out over a longer time frame. Outpatient treatment will often follow after inpatient treatment has been completed, as well, to aid in the transition and provide stepped-down care. Ideally, you should find a treatment center that offers customized treatment plans that include both inpatient and outpatient options in order to ensure continuity of care. There, you can have a personalized plan designed to meet your unique treatment needs.
Determining Your Access to Outpatient vs Inpatient Addiction Treatment
Several factors may influence your choice for addiction treatment. The first will likely be your physical condition and degree of dependence. If you are in a situation where withdrawal will likely be difficult or you are physically debilitated by your addiction, then the round-the-clock medical supervision of inpatient rehab will offer the safest, most comprehensive care.
The next influencing factor will be determined by your insurance carrier. If the request for inpatient rehab is denied by your insurance company, you may appeal with the help of your healthcare provider. If still denied, you may face the choice of paying greater out-of-pocket costs in order to obtain the degree of care you need.
And, finally, your ability to commit to inpatient rehab will be influenced by the demands of your day-to-day life. If family or work demands prevent you from making the time commitment required for inpatient treatment, outpatient rehab will be the option that provides you more flexibility. You will need to weigh each of these factors for yourself when deciding which treatment path to pursue.
Improving Your Potential for Success
Your success in addiction rehab will actually depend on many things, including your own commitment and motivation, the strength of the relationships formed with your treatment providers, as well as the aftercare follow-up of the chosen program. Unfortunately, it is impossible to effectively compare the success rates of outpatient vs inpatient addiction treatment. With so many different program variables and the wide variation in individual clients’ needs, it isn’t like comparing apples to apples.
Examining your life as a whole will help you to visualize your treatment goals. Finding a treatment center with a comprehensive continuum of care will increase the chances that your unique treatment needs are met. Ultimately, the charm for your success will be the program that disrupts your addiction and helps you return to a substance-free existence armed with useful and effective tools to help maintain sobriety and prevent relapse.
