Should I Choose Inpatient or Outpatient Rehab?

In this article, we answer the question ‘should I choose inpatient or outpatient rehab treatment?’ When answering this question, it’s important for you to appreciate the severity of your addiction.

If you require a medically assisted detox due to withdrawal symptoms, then it’s likely that inpatient rehab must always be preferred to outpatient rehab.

After all, your personal safety must take priority over all over consideration such as cost and the amount of time you have available to you in order to undergo your treatment programme.

The benefits of inpatient rehab

The primary benefit of inpatient rehab treatment is that you will literally be surrounded by medical professionals 24-hours a day. You will live in the rehab facility for around 28-days. Thus, if you require a medically assisted detox, inpatient rehab really cannot be beaten.

It’s also important to appreciate the benefits of inpatient rehab from a therapeutic perspective. Addiction is considered a mental disorder, albeit one that’s characterised by many physical health issues too.

Since addiction is primarily a mental disorder, it’s important for you to undergo a robust programme of therapy and counselling in order for you to make a full recovery. In this regard, inpatient rehab also reigns supreme over outpatient treatment.

Simply put, when you attend an inpatient rehab programme, you will attend an intensive programme of therapy and counselling each day until you are discharged. You will focus on your recovery 24-hours a day.

Another important benefit of inpatient rehab is that you are removed from bad influences and temptation. When you attend outpatient treatment, this is not strictly the case since you must return home following the completion of each daily session.

It is true that outpatient treatment programmes do offer many of the same treatments offered via inpatient rehab, however, the intensity of these treatments is far less when experienced in outpatient settings.

Below, we list some of the treatments that are common to both inpatient and outpatient treatment programmes:

• 12 step work
• One-to-one/individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy
• Co-dependency therapy
• Holistic therapies
• Motivational interviewing
• Educational workshops

Below, we list a number of situations when inpatient rehab is highly recommended rather than outpatient treatment:

• You suffer from a long-standing addiction to a physically addictive substance
• You have experienced suicidal thoughts in the last six-months
• You suffer from a pre-existing mental health condition
• You are addicted to multiple substances
• You have attended an outpatient rehab in the past but without success

The benefits of outpatient treatment

In contrast to inpatient rehab, outpatient treatment will mean you return to your home each and every evening following the conclusion of daily sessions. Thus, outpatient treatment has the key advantage of allowing you to continue with your domestic and professional duties whilst you receive treatment.

We recommend outpatient treatment when we feel your addiction is not sufficiently developed. If it’s likely that you will not experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms to render outpatient treatment a danger to your health, then attending an outpatient programme is clearly better than doing nothing at all.

Another benefit of outpatient treatment is cost. Whilst residential rehab may cost several thousands of pounds, outpatient treatment may be obtained for a fraction of this price. However, whilst outpatient rehab may be less costly than inpatient rehab, this is because the intensity of outpatient treatment is much lower than inpatient rehab.

Locating rehab treatment that’s right for your needs

To help you determine the suitability of either inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment for your needs, we offer you a free assessment. You can contact us for free on 0800 111 4108 in order to begin this assessment today. We then advise you on outpatient or inpatient treatment providers in your local area.

We recommend that you read through the above questions and answers carefully. If you require further information, contact our advisors today and for free on 0800 111 4108.  Alternatively, you may also contact us through this website and a member of our team will respond shortly.