You have many options for treatment in recovery. To make your decisions more manageable, it can be helpful to understand the differences between outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment so that you can figure out what the best way forward is for you.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment (OP) is catered to individuals who have completed recovery and only need support in the transitional phase. Unlike in many day treatment programs, you are not expected to spend each day in a treatment facility. Rather than daily meetings and obligations, you will likely have weekly meetings with a mental health professional. This level of treatment is to help you hold yourself accountable for your progress and continuing success with only a few hours of commitment each week.
The main goals of OP treatment involve adapting treatment techniques to your daily lifestyle. Working toward future goals, career success, maintenance of coping skills, and sobriety, this program can help you to keep your focus aligned moving forward.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) is catered to individuals who no longer need medically supervised care. It can be different depending on your needs for recovery success; however, it typically will consist of three to five days a week focused on treatment. Still working with mental health professionals and other peers in treatment, you will have a structured base to follow through with recovery.
IOP treatment might be for you if you can work and maintain a lifestyle outside of treatment but may struggle to hold themselves accountable on your own. This stage is a good stepping stone for those working toward OP treatment. If you are still focused on implementing new habits and altering your lifestyle to fit your sobriety goals but do not feel you need daily supervision in recovery, you may want to consider IOP.
Similarities
Both OP and IOP programs allow you to engage with normal activities while implementing your recovery habits. Neither has a full focus on recovery—instead, they focus on the implementation of recovery into your daily lifestyle. While neither of these treatment forms requires you to live within the treatment center, OP and IOP have different levels of intensity.
Either one of these treatment forms can be used as a helpful gauge of your ability. Observing how many factors you can manage on your own and how much support you still need can give you a better understanding of where you are in the grand scheme of recovery. See if you can support yourself or need a helping hand to support you for a little longer. You may be pleasantly surprised by how much you are capable of managing with the recovery skills you have gained.
Neither of these treatment options includes full supervision. If you are struggling with addiction to the point of needing full medical attention, a partial hospitalization program or residential program is recommended. OP and IOP are best for individuals who have minor levels of addiction or are transitioning from a full-time recovery program back to their everyday life. Establishing recovery habits while still having a form of support can benefit your long-term recovery success and ability to manage further obstacles on your own.
Which Is Right for You?
Determining which level of treatment would be the most beneficial for your recovery can be challenging. One of the best ways to help you determine which treatment program would benefit you the most is by understanding the severity of your addiction. If you have already been through some forms of treatment and are working toward adjustment to your everyday life, OP or IOP will likely suit you.
The main difference between OP and IOP is the time commitment to recovery and the treatment program itself. If you feel that you are struggling to maintain a balanced structure with your addiction, IOP may provide you with the structure you need to overcome that hurdle. If you feel that you struggle to hold yourself accountable when others are not around, IOP can be useful to provide you with more structured time to continue improving.
If you find that adjusting your recovery skills to your everyday life has come naturally to you, OP may be the way to go. Engaging in regular outpatient treatment does not mean that you are fully able to hold yourself accountable; however, you should feel that your ability to hold yourself accountable has improved. You will have support there when needed but are encouraged to work through a variety of issues on your own. This is one of the last steps before completing recovery and having the ability to maintain a healthy and sober lifestyle.
This decision is fully based on what support you feel would benefit you the most moving forward in the recovery process. Whether you feel you still need some extra support and motivation or are ready to try handling things on your own, there is an option for you.
Outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment are very similar but have some key differences to be aware of. While both of these treatment plans allow you to focus on the implementation of recovery habits into your everyday life, intensive outpatient therapy is more of a time commitment. Intensive outpatient therapy can be beneficial if you feel you are unable to hold yourself accountable through recovery on your own. Regular outpatient therapy does not require you to be fully self-accountable; however, you should feel more comfortable being on your own. Both of these transitional treatment options can be extremely beneficial when implementing aspects of recovery into your regular lifestyle. This phase is important to work through to ensure you will not fall back into old habits after leaving treatment. To learn more about the differences between outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.
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