Recovering from an addiction often involves working through several different stages of treatment. Some people need to begin with a detox program and inpatient care to wean themselves off of drugs. Following that initial phase, you might choose to continue your care by attending therapy sessions on an outpatient basis. Occasionally, some people are also successful with only using outpatient treatment as they recover from an addiction. This is usually done when someone needs to continue working or caring for their children at home. The versatility of outpatient care is one of the things that make it so great for recovery. As you go about your normal life, you’ll have consistent support from people who know what life is like when you are recovering from an addiction.
A typical outpatient treatment program involves you attending counseling sessions regularly during the week. Intensive outpatient treatment may include spending a large portion of your day in the program, and it is common for people to gradually attend fewer and less lengthy sessions as they move forward in their recovery. Outpatient treatment is specifically aimed at preventing relapse. You’ll spend large amounts of time talking to your counseling team about your progress in recovery. You’ll also work with the other members of your group therapy sessions to identify new ways to feel supported.
You are at a higher risk of having a relapse during your first year of sobriety, and going to outpatient care helps to keep you sober. You might also choose to go to outpatient treatment if you’ve already been sober and find yourself heading for a relapse. Reaching out for help before things get bad is the best way to prevent an addiction from taking over your whole life again.
Learn to Manage Changes In Your Life With Outpatient Treatment
Leaving an inpatient program is a moment that is often filled with joy and a bit of anxiety. You may wonder how well you’ll handle being faced with temptation or how you will cope during a stressful event. Outpatient treatment is designed to make those issues less of a concern because you will find it easier to stay grounded and deal with cravings in appropriate ways. During your outpatient sessions, you may cover some or all of the following topics.
- stress management techniques
- conflict resolution
- ways to cope with existing mental health conditions
- strategies for staying busy
- how to make and keep new sober friends
In a perfect world, people who are recovering from addiction would get a free pass from being put into stressful situations. However, life rarely works out like that. In fact, things would get pretty boring if you weren’t faced with some sort of challenge that drives your personal growth. Since stress in life is inevitable, your outpatient therapy will serve as a form of relief. Often, just talking about your problems helps them to seem smaller and less disruptive. When you still find it hard to cope, your counselors can help you identify healthy strategies for managing the stress. For example, you might want to try deep breathing or meditating. Or, you may need to distract yourself with wholesome activities that help you to relax. Learning how to identify the stress management techniques that work for you makes it easier to avoid a relapse.
Group outpatient treatment also serves as a form of accountability. When you know that others are expecting you to show up sober and ready to learn, you’ll be less tempted to try using drugs or alcohol for one more time. If you do slip up, then you also have a team of understanding people who are willing to help you get back on track. Honesty and integrity are easier to maintain when you know that you won’t be judged for saying that you are struggling with handling your cravings. Getting through your daily life may be challenging, but it is less difficult when you work with other people to manage new issues. Since you’ll be actively involved in rebuilding your life, outpatient therapy comes with the added benefit of you being able to apply what you learn immediately to new situations. Being able to try out your new communication skills during your next conflict at home or work makes it easier to identify what works best. You can then get additional guidance during follow up conversations in your outpatient group.
Are you worried about having a relapse during recovery? We can help you set up the right supports with outpatient addiction treatment. Give us a call today at 844-844-3463.