When you make the decision that it’s time for help with your substance use disorder, you might find the decision a little more complicated than expected. Drug rehab, the most common approach for treating addiction, comes in both inpatient and outpatient formats. The best approach for you can depend on your addiction and life circumstances. To make the choice easier, we’ll briefly compare inpatient vs outpatient rehab.
Living Arrangements for Inpatient vs Outpatient Rehab
One big factor you must consider in an inpatient vs outpatient rehab comparison is the living arrangements. Inpatient rehab uses a residential model of addiction treatment.
That means you move in at the rehab facility and stay there for your entire treatment. In most cases, you get very limited contact with anyone from your regular life and rarely leave the facility. That means you must take a leave of absence from work.
In outpatient rehab, you live at your own home during treatment. This can make it easier if you must take care of family members, such as children or aging parents. It also makes it practical to keep working
Range of Treatments
Another matter of consideration in the inpatient vs outpatient rehab debate is the range of treatment options. There are some standard treatments that you see in both programs, such as:
- CBT
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- MAT
- DBT
Inpatient programs routinely offer a wider range of treatments. For example, they often offer dual diagnosis treatments that help you manage both an addiction and a mental health condition. You also see more holistic treatments that prove impractical in outpatient programs, such as nutrition therapy.
Time Commitment to Inpatient vs Outpatient Rehab
Inpatient programs offer an intensive treatment option that works like a full-time job. You essentially spend your whole day working on your sobriety. You sign on for at least a month of treatment. In some cases, though, you may stay six weeks, 60 days or even 90 days.
Outpatient programs offer a less intensive option that works more like a part-time job. You spend a fixed number of hours in treatment each week. In most cases, it’s around 9-12 hours each week.
While you get some say in which kind of program you enter, most rehab centers prefer you go with their recommendation. For certain, high-risk addictions, they will only accept you into inpatient programs.
BoardPrep Recovery Center®
BoardPrep Recovery Center® is a Tampa drug rehab center. BoardPrep offers a full range of drug and alcohol rehab programs with inpatient programs at a partner facility. We also offer a specialized rehab program for medical professionals.
Don’t let the inpatient vs outpatient rehab questions bog down your choice to get help. A quality rehab program can help you regain some control in your life. Contact BoardPrep at 866.796.4720, and we’ll help you begin a life in recovery.
