Dealing with drug and alcohol abuse is a nightmare for anyone. It feels like your body, mind, spirit, and family are under attack as the disease takes hold. But how can you break the cycle — especially if you have the added pressure of a job or family responsibilities? The stress of work or company events can exacerbate the pressure to drink or use drugs, and the duties of family life can make you crave a temporary release. But don’t worry; you are not alone. Many people have faced their addiction and healed from the roots without sacrificing their family or their job. Intensive outpatient treatment programs, or IOP, can help you get treatment for your substance use on your own terms. What happens in an IOP for drugs and alcohol, though?
Intensive Outpatient Programs Benefits
When many people think of rehab programs, they envision living at a facility for 30 or 90 days while receiving treatment nonstop. Those are called in-patient programs and they do provide round-the-clock care. However, residential addiction treatment is not your only option for finding healing.
An outpatient program is similar to residential treatment, with one big difference: In an IOP, a patient can return home at the end of the day. IOP programs are valuable for people with jobs they must maintain or family commitments. They can work on their sobriety and get the support they need to recover from their addiction, all while living at home and fulfilling their responsibilities. Most importantly, studies show that intensive outpatient treatment programs can actually be just as effective as residential treatment in helping people to overcome their drug or alcohol addiction — and the emotional wounds or mental health challenges that lie beneath.
Life In An IOP for Drugs & Alcohol
A patient in an IOP for drugs and alcohol will show up at a facility for a certain number of hours several days each week. Throughout those sessions, expert and caring team members will help IOP participants to understand relapse triggers, to build coping mechanisms, to explore the 12 steps, and to heal from the roots in individual or group therapy. The exact shape of every client’s treatment plan is different depending on his or her needs and goals, but the overall focus is to give each participant the tools needed to grow a new life in recovery — while offering the autonomy needed to take care of their other responsibilities.
Over time, patients will learn the skills needed to beat their drug and alcohol addiction and start their lifelong journey of sobriety. That way, when they fully return to the traditional world, they can stay away from the triggers that caused them to turn to substances. At the same time, IOP graduates build a recovery network right in their own backyard, making the transition back to “normal” life that much smoother.
Get Help for Drugs & Alcohol in IOP
Longbranch Recovery offers two IOP locations — one in Covington and one in Metairie, Louisiana — to support people in their recovery. Reach out to our staff today to find out if an IOP is right for you, and begin the transformation of your body, mind, spirit, and family.
